Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says Paul de Villiers is more than good enough to face the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday. Still, the push to get Siya Kolisi fit is driven by the unique qualities and leadership the double World Cup-winning captain brings to the team.
As things stand, Pieter-Steph du Toit will captain the Springboks in his 100th Test, with Kolisi and De Villiers both named at openside flank. If Kolisi’s hamstring does not hold up through the week’s training, De Villiers will start.
But Erasmus made it clear on Monday that the preferred scenario is for Kolisi to prove his fitness and reclaim the captaincy for the must-win second Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
“Siya has been slotted with Paul because we don’t want to train today without a named captain,” Erasmus said. “That’s why Pieter-Steph is staying captain, but if Siya gets through, we might make a change there.
“We just want to make sure that if Siya doesn’t get through, then at least we had the captain on the day.”
For the Springboks, Kolisi passing a fitness test on Thursday would therefore provide a boost on more than one level.
Du Toit has never shied away from the captaincy and regards it as a huge honour, but Kolisi appears to thrive on the responsibility of leading the team.
The ideal scenario for the Boks would be for Kolisi to return and wear the captain’s armband, allowing Du Toit to concentrate fully on the landmark occasion of his 100th Test.
Erasmus said that if Kolisi is cleared to play, De Villiers will drop out of the match-day 23. The loose-forward cover will remain Cameron Hanekom, Andre Esterhuizen and Deon Fourie, who can also cover hooker.
The coach also highlighted an area where Kolisi could make a significant difference against the All Blacks: the breakdown.
“Paul played well on Saturday, and there’s no reason why we should keep him out,” Erasmus said. “But Siya is our captain, Pieter-Steph is doing a sterling job, and he is really playing well.
“Siya has his unique strengths, one of them being the attacking breakdown. He is really good at sorting that out for us, which was the area we struggled with at Ellis Park.
“There were lots of times that we played poorly, not because they did anything illegal, but we couldn’t get the ball away out of the breakdown when we were in really good attacking positions. Siya’s really good at freeing up the ball.
“And then he’s really good at transferring us from defence — he and Pieter-Steph together, we call it ‘the gates’. They’re well organised in the defensive sets in the gates. That was definitely something which we lacked.
“But Paul will just get better. He’s only played four matches. So, yes, I think Siya will definitely help us in those two areas.”
