Rassie Erasmus Explains Siya Kolisi’s Substitution Against Italy, Making It Second Game in a Row
- Rassie Erasmus has shared the reason why he substituted Siya Kolisi for the second game running for the Springboks
- The South African rugby national team defeated Italy in Turin this weekend despite playing most of their tie with 14 men
- The reigning rugby World Cup champions also had a player sent off in their last game before the tie against the Azzurri
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has commented on his decision to sub off Siya Kolisi in South Africa's win over Italy in Turin on Saturday, November 15, 2025.
Source: Getty Images
It was the second game in a row that Kolisi was subbed off early in a match. The Boks captain earned his 100th Test Cap with South Africa against France last weekend (Saturday, November 8, 2025) and was subbed off in that game after Lood de Jager was sent off.
The Boks had another player being sent off against Italy, just like the game against Les Bleus.
Erasmus on substituting Kolisi against Italy
Erasmus expressed clear frustration over the red-card incident, stating that there was nothing he could say to change the situation. He also expressed gratitude for experienced officials like Ben O’Keeffe and James Doleman being involved. He added that it was particularly unfortunate that the team’s captain had to shoulder such a sacrifice in his 100th Test.
He went on to explain that he had always believed the game was moving toward 20-minute red cards and suggested that the matter might need revisiting, though it was not his place to make that call.
Erasmus said it was disappointing that the captain had suffered twice in one week for the team’s victories. While he did not insist that the decisions were incorrect, he noted that he had seen several similar incidents throughout the match. He acknowledged that a review might show they were wrong, in which case they would accept and correct it.
Erasmus pointed out that South Africa received a red card while the opposition got a yellow, which he felt was probably fair, but found it difficult to understand losing two locks in two games for situations where they were already as low as they could go.
He added that coaching very tall players to go even lower, especially against opponents who are already on their knees, is extremely challenging. Playing with 13 men against 14 also made the match tougher than the previous week.
Source: Getty Images
South Africa have remained unbeaten since the start of the Autumn Nations Series 2025, and earned victories in their last two games with a man down.
Springboks will switch focus to their next game in the ongoing tour against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, November 22, 2025.
Erasmus on bold substitution vs France
Briefly News also reported that Eramus explained the reason behind his bold substitution in South Africa's victory over France.
The South African rugby coach decided to sub off some of the veterans of the team, including the captain, Siya Kolisi, who was making his 100th Test cap in the match.
Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
