Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber and SA Rugby Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus gave the nation good news regarding Siya Kolisi on Wednesday, saying they hoped the Bok captain would return to the field before the Rugby World Cup.
However, Nienaber said it was important for the squad to focus on the first task at hand in a season which features a condensed Castle Lager Rugby Championship, three World Cup warm-up games and then the tournament itself.
“The World Cup is obviously the big one for us this year, but our focus is on our first Test against Australia,” Nienaber said. “We have a plan for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship and then we have World Cup warm-up matches against Argentina, Wales and New Zealand before we move into the World Cup.”
According to Erasmus, several players could be named as captains during the World Championship and warm-up matches leading to the World Cup. They will not name an interim captain according to Erasmus.
With Kolisi set to miss the southern hemisphere showpiece, Erasmus said just to name a few players, there were a number of potential interim captains in the squad for the other Tests. These include Steven Kitshoff (prop), Eben Etzebeth (lock), Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit (both loose forwards), Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am (both centres).
"However, Siya is on track with his rehabilitation, and he’s hitting all his targets,” said Nienaber. Erasmus added: “Our target at this stage is to have Siya ready to play one or two warm-up games before the World Cup.”
