Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has given an indication that Siya Kolisi might continue as captain on the day the former received his honorary doctorate.
There has been plenty of speculation over the future of the captaincy, with Kolisi having led the team to back-to-back Rugby World Cup wins before heading to France.
That move to Racing 92 gave Erasmus a headache in terms of who might take over, as the boss made no secret that he prefers a home-based skipper for contact reasons.
Kolisi to stay on?
But it seems that flank Kolisi could retain the job if he and the Paris club can work out a plan for him to be present for every Springbok camp this year.
After receiving his honorary degree from North-West University on Thursday, Erasmus gave an update on the process to the media in Potchefstroom.
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“We don’t have to make a decision (about the captaincy) now. The first Test (against Wales on Saturday, June 22) will in any event occur outside of the international window, necessitating the replacement of the skipper. After that, we’ll make a decision,” Erasmus told Netwerk 24, with Kolisi present to support his coach.
The Springboks play the Welsh at Twickenham to start the season, and they’ll probably be missing a ton of first team players because of club obligations.
Following the success of 2023 and the documentary describing their World Cup journey, Erasmus is now looking forward to their upcoming matches against Portugal and Ireland (twice).
Youth to feature
“Chasing the Sun is finished, the World Cup is finished,” he explained.
“The coaching staff has worked hard. We are definitely going to give younger guys a chance this year. We must remember, in 2020 we did not play rugby due to Covid-19. We couldn’t play.
“So, we definitely need to start throwing in younger players.”
After their mid-year Tests on home soil, the Springboks will then press for Rugby Championship success with matches scheduled against the Wallabies, All Blacks and Pumas.
Springboks fixtures
Saturday, 22 June: Springboks vs Wales (Twickenham, London)
Saturday, 6 July: Springboks vs Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, 13 July: Springboks vs Ireland (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, 20 July: Springboks vs Portugal (Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein)
Saturday, 10 August: Australia vs Springboks (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
Saturday, 17 August: Australia vs Springboks (Optus Stadium, Perth)
Saturday, 31 August: Springboks vs New Zealand (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, 7 September: Springboks v New Zealand (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, 21 September: Argentina v Springboks (venue TBC)
Saturday, 28 September: Springboks v Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
Sunday, 10 November: Scotland vs Springboks (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
Saturday, 16 November: England vs Springboks (Twickenham, London)
Saturday, 23 November: Wales vs Springboks (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)
