The Boks kick off their Nations Championship campaign with a match against England.
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi in action against the Barbarians last weekend. Picture: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
When Siya Kolisi leads the Springboks into battle against England at Ellis Park next Saturday in the Nations Championship opener he will no doubt think back to eight years ago when he fulfilled the same role at the same venue for the first time as Springbok team leader.
In the days before that Test, which took place on 9 June 2018, Bok boss Rassie Erasmus announced Kolisi as the new Springbok captain. He took over from Adriaan Strauss, who had led the side during the two years that Allister Coetzee was in charge of the team.
Erasmus had also only recently stepped into the job, after returning from coaching in Ireland.
Kolisi became the first black captain of the Springboks.
He led the team to a victory in that Test against England, guiding the side to a 42-39 win after being shocked in the first half which saw the Boks trail 24-3 inside 20 minutes. Kolisi was 26 years old.
“I remember it was a tough and emotional game,” Kolisi recalled on Tuesday. “I think the emotions got the better of me. I struggled a bit, but the team did well and I had so many great leaders around me.”
Seventy-one Tests later as captain and 103 in total, Kolisi is an experienced operator who knows how to get the job done. His greatest triumphs have been leading the Boks to World Cup wins in 2019 and 2023.
He said this week he was still honoured to be captaining the side at the age of 35.
“It’s a really good feeling (to be named the captain),” said Kolisi this week.
“Everything starts from the top, and I think the biggest thing is to make sure the team remains the most important aspect.
“For us who have been here for a while, it’s about passing on as much information as we can to make sure everyone is up to speed, because we never know who’s going to play or who’s going to be needed.”
Kolisi is almost certain to lead the side against England next Saturday, but may well step aside at half-time for someone like rising star Paul de Villiers to get a run.
Just last week, ahead of the Boks’ friendly game against the Barbarians in Gqeberha, Kolisi said of the Stormers No 6: “He’s a beast. He destroyed everybody in the fitness tests and his work-rate around the field is incredible. The energy he brings lifts the people around him.
“It’s really exciting (to have a player like him in the team), so I am really looking forward to see what he is going to do when he gets his opportunity.”
Following the Test against England, the Boks will face Scotland and Wales in the Nations Championship home Tests.
