Siya Kolisi has been passed fit to captain South Africa in the second Test against New Zealand in Cape Town in a significant boost for the Springboks.
Kolisi had been bracketed alongside Paul de Villiers in the No 6 shirt when Rassie Erasmus named his team for the encounter on Monday, with the 35-year-old having suffered two hamstring injuries this summer.
But the flanker has now been declared good to go as the Springboks look to hit back having fallen 1-0 behind, with Kolisi taking the captaincy from Pieter-Steph du Toit after coming through training.
“Siya will be starting and he will captain the team,” Erasmus said with De Villiers displaced after starting the first Test.
“It was a hamstring niggle, not something major like he had before 2019 or 2023. It was a grade two tear, and it takes a little time to recover, and that’s why we’ve been cautious.
“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.”
Fellow flanker Du Toit had led in Kolisi’s stead during July’s Nations Championship, and at Ellis Park on Saturday.
He will win his 100th cap in Cape Town, which Erasmus explained had played a part in his captaincy call.
“Pieter-Steph just took the captaincy for us on Monday so Siya could fully concentrate on his recovery and his work, and I had a chat with Pieter-Steph today and he agreed,” Erasmus stressed.
“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.
“The 23 guys who played together against Argentina played really well, and it’s not just his game that is good, he’s a very inspirational person who means a lot to this team on and off the field.”
The four-match Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series continues with another meeting in Johannesburg on 5 September, before concluding in Baltimore seven days later.
