Rassie Erasmus Confirms Siya Kolisi Won’t Play All Springboks Matches in 2025

• Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has opened up about Siya Kolisi’s future with the Springboks
• The Springboks could see a major shift in captaincy as the team plans for long-term leadership
• Young rookies from the Junior Springboks and elsewhere are quietly emerging as potential successors to Kolisi’s armband

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has spoken openly about the future of Springboks captain Siya Kolisi as both the captain and a permanent playing member of the team.

Kolisi, who was ruled out of the game against the Barbarians due to a niggle, relinquished his role as captain to Jesse, who is the vice-captain. Kolisi has been the Springboks' captain since 2018. He made history by becoming the first black man to hold the position and went on to lead the Springboks to the World Cup on two occasions in 2019 and 2023.

Erasmus's constant confidence in Kolisi

Erasmus reaffirmed that Kolisi will continue to lead the team, but underscored that the possibility of a fresh face taking over from Kolisi was high.

Kolisi is approaching a crucial time in his playing career; rugby is a physically demanding game. Even though at 34, he looks determined to continue playing the sport at the highest level as the Boks set to focus on their world title defence.

Which other Boks have captained the team?

Erasmus has reported mentioned that the veterans in the squad will remain in the teams as long as they are fit and strong. If anything, last year indicated that the coach was gauging the depth of his squad. Peter du Toit and Eben Etzebeth both captained the Boks last year alongside Kolisi.

Whereas, Salmaan Moerat became the latest Springboks captain when he led the team against Portugal, becoming the 66th skipper of the Boks in their rich history.

In previous interviews, Erasmus has thrown his weight behind Kolisi, expressing his confidence in him.

"If Siya is fit, healthy and in the best possible shape that he can be, I don't think there will be a change this year," he said.

Injury and fitness could be an issue for Kolisi.

Ahead of the game against the Barbarians, Erasmus stated that Kolisi won't be playing every single match in 2025. He also strongly felt that there was an opportunity for a young player to take the armband.

With Kolisi's minor knock ruling him out of the latest match and Jesse taking the role, this could be the beginning of a new era for the Springboks, in hindsight.

"If you think about it, Pieter-Steph has been captain, Bongi, Eben and Salmaan too, while De Allende has been vice-captain a lot of times. I guess when the time is right, we will try. Siya won't play all the matches this year"

Erasmus is keen to move the armband to a young rookie as the Springboks look to prepare for the future. The likes of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who led the Junior Springboks and Vincent Tshituka, who led the Sharks when Etzebeth and Kolisi were, could be the next in line.

Erasmus reflects on nearly overlooking Mapimpi

Briefly News previously reported that Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus almost overlooked Makazole Mapimpi’s potential early in his career due to initial mistakes, including consecutive knock-ons in 2018.

Source: Briefly News