When Siya Kolisi led the Springboks out against Argentina this past weekend, he racked up his 97th Test appearance, and the inspirational captain is set to add another cap to his tally in the must-win match against Argentina in London this Saturday.
Although Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has generally tried to ensure milestones such as reaching 100 caps can be celebrated in South Africa in front of home fans, unfortunately it doesn’t seem like the timing will work out in Kolisi’s favour in this regard.
With the Springboks set for a five-match end-of-year tour, including huge games against France and Ireland, it seems unavoidable that Kolisi’s milestone Test won’t be able to be deferred to next year.
SIYA KOLISI COULD REACH 100 CAPS IN THE BLOCKBUSTER GAME AGAINST IRELAND IN NOVEMBER
Just this week, Rassie Erasmus admitted that emotion ultimately couldn’t dictate selection as Kolisi heads ever closer to becoming the ninth Springbok centurion.
“There are so many emotional decisions one has to make,” Erasmus said. “We are tight and very good friends, and there’s a mutual belief in each other.
“We have (Makazole) Mapimpi, who is on 47 (caps), and we want to get him to 50 Tests, and Siya has 97 caps. You can’t always plan where players will earn their 100th Test cap.
“If you start thinking too much about it, that’s when you start risking losing Tests sometimes. Whether he does it against France or wherever it may be, we will celebrate it there when it happens.”
REMAINING BOK SCHEDULE FOR 2025:
- 4 October: vs Argentina, London. Kick off: 15:00.
- 1 November: vs Japan, Wembley. Kick off: TBD.
- 8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: 22:10.
- 15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: 14:40
- 22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40.
- 29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10.
