Siya Kolisi lays down the challenge to Springboks hopefuls as he reveals ‘ultimate Rugby World Cup dream’

Siya Kolisi admits that his Springboks focus has changed after leading the team to back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles.

The back-rower is now 32 and will likely lose the captaincy after head coach Rassie Erasmus stated that he preferred someone more “locally-based.”

Kolisi is currently playing abroad for Racing 92 after joining the club on a three-year contract following the conclusion of the World Cup.

First overseas club

He had spent his whole career in South Africa, firstly for the Stormers before switching to the Sharks for two years, but the flanker wanted to try his hand overseas after the global championship.

Erasmus claims that this has worked against Kolisi in the captaincy debate, but he is still hoping to play for the Springboks in the upcoming four-year cycle.

The excellent backrow is even considering playing in the 2027 World Cup, though he acknowledges that it is not a certain that he will play in Australia.

“Right now, the focus is on making that group and making sure we do well in the Tests we play and it’s always the ultimate dream, to play in another World Cup and win another World Cup for the country,” he told supersport.com

“But ultimately it will show how the body feels and how the mind is when we get there.”

In February, Kolisi revealed that he wanted to play for another five years, but the great Springboks skipper acknowledged that maintaining a spot in the national team is a challenge for all of the experienced players.

The 32-year-old, though, is adamant about sticking with the setup and laid down the challenge to the young players vying for a spot on the Boks squad.

That is our dream and what we desire. It will be difficult, though, since, as you mentioned, the players in South Africa are playing so well right now. We’ll have to consider giving up the jersey if we don’t perform better than them,” he stated.

“But stating that we will not give it up lightly, we won’t give up the jersey easily, and they will have to accept it.”

Captaincy

Even though his chances of becoming captain have diminished, Kolisi is unconcerned and says his goal is to just keep playing Test for South Africa.

“All that counts is that I get to wear that green and gold shirt as long as I can. Few individuals aspire to be Springbok captains, according to Siya Kolisi.

“Even if it was difficult, being captain has been an honor, and all I want to do is put on the shirt. whether or whether I am captain.