By CAPE TOWN — Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has been cleared of a hamstring injury and will lead South Africa in Saturday’s crucial second Test against the All Blacks at DHL Stadium, head coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed on Tuesday.
Kolisi, who suffered a grade two hamstring tear against Argentina three weeks ago, passed his final fitness tests after running at full capacity during early-week training sessions. He reclaims the captaincy and takes his place in the starting loose trio alongside No 8 Jasper Wiese and flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit. The return of the talismanic skipper sees Paul de Villiers drop out of the match-day squad.
“Last week it was touch and go, but we told him he had to run full out on Monday and he did so on Tuesday as well without any discomfort, so he’s good to go,” Erasmus said of Kolisi’s recovery.
The decision to restore Kolisi to the captaincy also lifts an immense burden off Du Toit, who is set to earn his 100th Test cap on Saturday. Du Toit had briefly stepped into the leadership role earlier in the week, but Erasmus moved quickly to ensure the veteran flanker could focus entirely on his milestone match without the added pressure of squad leadership.
“In this match you probably don’t want captaincy responsibilities, with the 100 to think about, and on top of that needing to play well, so Siya is our captain,” Erasmus explained, noting that Du Toit fully agreed with the decision. “Siya is a very inspirational person who means a lot to this team on and off the field.”
The Boks enter the Cape Town clash looking to bounce back from a painful late defeat in Johannesburg. Reflecting on that loss, Erasmus took personal responsibility for tactical decisions late in the game after South Africa surrendered control around the 60-minute mark.
“A lot of the things we asked the players to do, they did,” Erasmus noted. “The plan didn’t win the game for us, but it’s definitely also not the players who lost the game. I’m taking responsibility for some of the decisions we made.”
With the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series on the line, the stakes could not be higher for the hosts. A second loss would end any chance of securing a series victory.
“I’m definitely nervous again,” Erasmus admitted. “We’re one game down, and if we don’t win this game, we can’t win the series, we can only draw it. Nerves are there for sure. But we’ve been under this kind of pressure a lot, and hopefully we can turn things around this weekend.”
Kick-off at DHL Stadium is scheduled for 17:10 on Saturday, with the match broadcast live on SuperSport.
