Rassie Erasmus says there’s no reason why Paul de Villiers shouldn’t face the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday, but Siya Kolisi is the Springbok captain.
Speaking on Monday after naming the Bok 23 to face New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium this week, Erasmus confirmed Kolisi’s inclusion hinges on getting through training, with the 35-year-old still carrying a “niggle”.
Pieter-Steph du Toit has been named Bok captain for the fifth time this season, ahead of what would be the two-time World Cup winner’s 100th Test.
“That’s why he’s slashed with Paul, and we also don’t want to train today without a named captain,” Erasmus told reporters. “That’s why Pieter-Steph is staying captain, but if Siya gets through, we might make a change there.
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“We just want to make sure that if Siya doesn’t get through, then at least we had the captain on the day.”
Should Kolisi be cleared, Erasmus confirmed De Villiers, who has started all four of his Tests for the world champions so far in 2026, would drop out of the squad entirely rather than move to the bench.
“No. Paul moves out of the 23.”
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Erasmus explained why Kolisi’s return would strengthen the Boks against a New Zealand outfit looking to build on a 1-0 Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series lead.
The veteran loose forward’s all-round game is arguably better suited to matching the Kiwis’ high-tempo style, unlike the 23-year-old De Villiers’ more specialist breakdown role.
“Paul played well on Saturday, and there’s no reason why we should keep him out,” Erasmus noted. “But, Siya is our captain, Pieter-Steph is doing a sterling job and he is really playing well.
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“Siya has got some strengths, one of them being the attacking breakdown, he’s really good at sorting that out for us, which was the area we struggled with [in last Saturday’s defeat at Ellis Park].
“There were lots of times that we played badly, not because they did anything illegal, but we couldn’t get the ball away out of the breakdown when we were in really good attacking positions. Siya’s really good at that.
“And then, as you rightly say, he’s really good at getting us from defence – him and Pieter-Steph together, we call it ‘the gates’ – they’re well organised in the defensive sets in the gates. That was definitely something which we lacked.
“But Paul will just get better. He’s only played four matches. So, yes, I think Siya will definitely help us in those two areas.”
Photo: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images
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Rassie Erasmus says there’s no reason why Paul de Villiers shouldn’t face the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday, but Siya Kolisi is the Springbok captain.
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