By Lucky Vince Pienaar
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is in Argentina preparing for the first match between the Pumas and the Springboks on Saturday, but not as a player.
He will be up in the coach’s box, learning about coaching and getting ready for the probable next stage of his career.
Rassie Erasmus said it was always the plan for Kolisi not to play in the match.
“He’s here to help lead the team from off the field,” said Erasmus, as reported by SuperSport.
“The one thing we want to do is get Siya in the coach’s box. He doesn’t know what happens up there.”
Rassie explained that they want him to see how decisions are made and how messages are sent down to the players on the field.
“We did the same with Duane Vermeulen, and after that, he had a new understanding. We hope Siya will gain that this weekend.”
Kolisi played in the second test against the All Blacks despite suffering a broken nose from a head clash with Sam Cane the week before.
Before the match, Rassie said at a news conference that Siya wasn’t worried about playing through the potential pain.
“He might end up looking like Kwagga Smith,” joked Rassie.
“No comment,” replied Siya.
The nose hasn’t been reset yet, but Siya will probably play—broken nose and all—in the second match against Argentina in Mbombela on 28 September. The nose will be sorted out after that match.
On Saturday, Salmaan Moerat will face the toughest test of his leadership skills when he captains the Springboks in Santiago del Estero.
Pictured above: Siya Kolisi.
Source: Springboks/X
