Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has been cleared to play in Saturday’s Rugby Championship match against the All Blacks in Cape Town, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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Kolisi, who suffered a heavy blow to the face during last weekend’s 31-27 victory over New Zealand at Ellis Park, will wear the No 6 jersey at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
Springbok management confirmed that Kolisi participated in all the team’s training sessions this week and was subsequently given the green light to play.
The starting XV also sees flyhalf Handre Pollard and fullback Willie le Roux return to the line-up, replacing Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Aphelele Fassi, respectively.
Canan Moodie will start on the right wing, filling in for Kurt-Lee Arendse, who is sidelined after failing a head injury assessment following a knock to the head. In total, the Springboks have made seven changes to their starting line-up.
Grant Williams will start at scrumhalf in place of Cobus Reinach, while Jaden Hendrikse joins the bench as a backup.
Veteran lock Eben Etzebeth moves up from the bench to start, with Pieter-Steph du Toit shifting back to the flank, meaning Ben-Jason Dixon misses out.
The Springboks have opted for a traditional five-three forwards-to-backs split on the bench, with Lukhanyo Am joining Hendrikse and Feinberg-Mngomezulu as backline replacements.
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Head coach Rassie Erasmus expressed his pleasure at Kolisi’s timely recovery, stating, ‘Siya is a world-class player and captain, and he adds immense value to the team with the way he leads by example and galvanises the team when the pressure is on.’
Erasmus explained that the team’s policy allows players to be selected if they train on Monday and remain pain-free throughout the week.
‘Similarly to the call we made with Eben last week, our team policy is that if a player trains on a Monday and gets through training during the week pain-free, they can be selected for the weekend, and Siya did just that,’ said Erasmus.
He emphasised that player honesty regarding their fitness and ability to perform is crucial to the team’s culture, adding, ‘Honesty from the players about whether they can play and deliver fully on what we expect from them is a key part of our team culture, so have full faith in Siya to give everything on the field.’
Etzebeth, meanwhile, will be playing his 126th Test, bringing him closer to Victor Matfield’s record of 127 caps, while Le Roux’s start will leave him just three Tests short of joining the select group of Springbok centurions.
However, Erasmus downplayed the significance of these records, focusing instead on the upcoming challenge. He is more concerned with beating the All Blacks for a fourth consecutive time—a feat that would be the first since 1949—and winning the Freedom Cup for the first time since 2009.
‘It would be fantastic to achieve that as a team, but if you look too far ahead it comes back to bite you,’ said Erasmus.
‘The focus for us all week is to try to deliver the best possible performance we can against New Zealand and to correct the wrongs of last week.’
He acknowledged the strength of the All Blacks, noting, ‘New Zealand have not been the best team in the world for so many years for nothing. They’re a formidable team and they’ve shown in the past against us that you never write them off.’
Erasmus also pointed out that the All Blacks would be motivated by their past successes in Cape Town and keen to make a strong statement. ‘Like us, they’ve a lot to play for, so we know it’ll be as intense and as tight as it ever has been between us. It’s going to take another hard grind for the full 80 minutes.’
In other news, the Springboks have released three players—Steven Kitshoff (prop), Dixon (flanker), and Makazole Mapimpi (winger)—to their provincial unions for Currie Cup game time.
Mapimpi, who spent the week in KwaZulu-Natal for the birth of his child, will remain in the province to play for the Sharks XV in their match against the Bulls in Durban on Sunday. Kitshoff, recently back from a knee injury, and Dixon will return to Western Province for their game against Griquas on Friday.
Springbok XV:
15 Willie le Roux; 14 Canan Moodie; 13 Jesse Kriel; 12 Damian de Allende; 11 Cheslin Kolbe; 10 Handre Pollard; 9 Grant Williams; 8 Jasper Wiese; 7 Pieter-Steph Du Toit; 6 Siya Kolisi (C); 5 Ruan Nortje; 4 Eben Etzebeth; 3 Frans Malherbe; 2 Bongi Mbonambi; 1 Ox Nche
Substitutes: 16 Malcolm Marx; 17 Gerhard Steenekamp; 18 Vincent Koch; 19 Kwagga Smith; 20 Elrigh Louw; 21 Jaden Hendrikse; 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu; 23 Lukhanyo Am
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Picture: Anton Geyser / Gallo Images
