Why Kolisi should be leading the Boks

The Springboks produced an outstanding performance against Argentina in Salta on Saturday and, in the process, registered their first away win since 2015. The visitors had a somewhat slow start, but once South Africa discovered their rhythm they were unstoppable.

Back-to-back wins against Argentina represent a great start to the Rugby Championship for Allister Coetzee's charges. To a man, every single one of the players stepped up to the plate in Salta, and the Boks deservedly lead the Rugby Championship after two rounds of matches.

The Springboks still have a way to go because we have only completed a third of the fixtures in the competition. Sterner tests against the Wallabies and All Blacks lie in wait over the next four rounds but, by winning away from home for the first time since Coetzee succeeded Heyneke Meyer as coach, this group has overcome a significant mental barrier.

As all professional coaches do, Coetzee and his management staff will acknowledge and admire the things they have done well, but will also realise they need to take their game to a different level to overcome Australia and New Zealand.

The Springboks will be very honest as a group and will privately acknowledge that Australia are a step up from Argentina, who appear to be caught between game plans. The Wallabies would have come away from Dunedin feeling very disappointed that they didn't beat the All Blacks, having led at half time.

However, Australia's performance in New Zealand at the weekend underlined that they are not a bad team and, as such, the Springboks cannot allow any complacency to creep in. I don't believe the Boks will, as the players appear hungry to perform and are champing at the bit to get their Australasian tour under way.

Siya Kolisi encapsulates the new-found attitude in the Springbok camp and wears his heart on his sleeve. Eben Etzebeth has done a wonderful job as captain in Warren Whiteley's injury-enforced absence but there are many reasons why I feel Kolisi should comfortably be the next Springbok captain. He is a world-class player, a natural leader and, as the incumbent Stormers skipper, has already proven his leadership ability. I'm not for a second taking anything away from Etzebeth but Kolisi leading the Springboks makes sense for South Africa.

Dillyn Leyds, Handré Pollard and Ross Cronjé have been included in the Springbok touring squad for the Australasian leg of the Rugby Championship, with Coetzee opting for continuity. Without a shadow of a doubt, Coetzee has made the correct call by sticking to his tried-and-tested personnel. The more they train and play together, the better they are going to become.

Some pundits have expressed reservations about the relatively green back three of Andries Coetzee, Raymond Rhule and Courtnall Skosan. They are new Springboks learning their way and are in the rookie stages of their international careers. However, to single out individuals is not the answer. It's less about the back three combination not playing as well as the week before and more about the players in question feeling as though they are part of something special.

The Springboks aren't going to get everything right in every single Test. However, the signs are promising and we need to continue to back the current group of players.