Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus had quite a simple answer when asked about Siya Kolisi’s critics during a press conference in Pretoria on Wednesday.
It was a bit of a throwaway line towards the end of the press conference, but it affirmed Erasmus’ confidence in Kolisi, who had come in from some criticism from his club owner in France.
After months of speculation, Erasmus basically confirmed that Kolisi will remain the Springboks’ captain.
In a recent interview, Racing 92 boss Jacky Lorenzetti criticised Kolisi for “excessive weight, losing shape” and being “transparent” in their Top 14 playoff defeat against Bordeaux.
However, Erasmus made no bones about that fact that he disagreed with Lorenzetti ...
“Siya will be captain. Siya will wear the No 6 jersey. Siya has got no injury. Siya is not fat. And, Siya is not transparent.”
Kolisi had an up and down season with his new French club side starting well before an injury influenced a loss of form towards the end of their season.
Erasmus stated at the start of the year that he didn’t know if Kolisi will keep the captaincy, hinting there could be a change in leadership as he preferred his captain to be based in South Africa.
"Siya Kolisi will be captain, Siya's fit, Siya's not fat" - Rassie Erasmus pic.twitter.com/gCcTWTA2R1
— Mapantsula a Rugby Show (@MapantsulaRugby) June 26, 2024
Pieter-Steph du Toit captained the Boks in their first Test of the year against against Wales.
Meanwhile, the Springboks have gathered in Pretoria for their massive two-match series against Ireland. The Boks haven’t beaten Ireland in since 2016, when Allister Coetzee’s Springboks clinched a 2-1 Test series win on home soil.
The Springboks have lost their last three Test matches against the Irish, including last year’s defeat in the group stages of the Rugby World Cup.
The first Test will be played at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, July 5, with the second Test at Durban’s Kings Park a week later.
“If there is one team that has had the upper hand against us, it’s Ireland. The stats are there, we haven’t beaten them since 2016,” Erasmus said.
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