Rassie has mindset shift on Bok captaincy, still sold on Siya

Captain Siya Kolisi has shifted the way coach Rassie Erasmus values the Springbok captain.

Kolisi's larger-than-life persona, his rags-to-riches life path and what he has come to represent outside the confines of Springbok rugby have provided Erasmus cause for a rethink.

“Captaincy is a big thing in South Africa,” Erasmus said at a media gathering in Cape Town.

“When I started it wasn’t a big thing for me because I always thought we would all take ownership to support the captain. The icon and person Siya has become in South Africa has definitely shifted my mindset on that.”

Erasmus was drawn into the Bok captaincy debate with questions lingering about Kolisi's form and his longevity given his 34th birthday in June.

“Our feeling is that if a guy is 34, 35 or 36 and he is injury-free and the fittest he can be, then as long as he is No 1 in that position, he will stay captain.

“There are other options. Eben [Etzebeth], Bongi [Mbonambi] and Pieter-Steph [du Toit] have been captains. But if Siya is fit, healthy and in the best possible shape, I don’t think there will be a change.”

With the next Rugby World Cup two-and-a-half years away this is the time for Erasmus to be decisive if major changes are going to be made for the defence of their title. A dozen or so players who helped the Boks surge to back-to-back World Cup titles will be in their mid-thirties when the next tournament comes around. 

Erasmus has, however, embarked on a path of renewal and to that end used more than 50 players last year, with resounding success.

Some of his experienced hands are regarded indispensable and though Etzebeth comfortably fits into that category the strapping lock has been sidelined through concussion. He has spent prolonged time out since taking a bang to the head in the Sharks' clash with Exeter Chiefs in December.

“I actually drove to Stellenbosch to meet Dr Pierre Viviers, who is the concussion guru, to get a proper catch-up so I can also understand the concussion set-up again,” Erasmus said.

“When a guy is totally concussion-free and he starts from a clean sheet again, that’s what we always want.

“If a guy gets a normal concussion again and he fails the HIA [head injury assessment] with all the protocols, we will never bring a guy back too early. Eben must just get to that stage where they say he is concussion free.”

Erasmus explained Etzebeth is not yet ready to play but is close to reaching the threshold that will allow him back into match combat.

“He doesn’t have any symptoms and he went through all the processes and, according to what I’ve heard, he will be one of the players that will be available.

“He is not yet ready to play but he is very close to getting ready to play. Once that sheet is clean and he is concussion free, then it is back to normal again.

“When guys get one concussion after the other, there are some implications there. I don’t want to give any data on Eben, but we see him playing for us this year.”

Etzebeth is one of 56 players invited to the Boks' preseason camp in Cape Town from March 10-12. He will have a virtual camp with mostly overseas based players on March 27.