Rassie Erasmus has confirmed Siya Kolisi will definitely captain the Boks at the World Cup if fit.
Besides naming Kolisi to make his international comeback against Argentina this Saturday, Erasmus said Schalk Brits would only temporarily take over the captaincy.
‘I’ve asked Siya to empty his tank and go as hard for as long as he can,’ said Erasmus.
‘I’ve told him he might even come off in the first half. He has played less than 50 minutes of Currie Cup rugby in the last 12 weeks, but I needed him to have a taste of Test rugby again before we leave for Japan.”
Vice-captain Elton Jantjies will take over the leadership role in the event of Brits being replaced.
Erasmus said the split between six forwards and two backs on the bench was to provide extra loose-forward cover for Kolisi’s cameo return.
Frans Steyn would cover all of flyhalf, centre and fullback with Faf de Klerk the only other back replacement.
Season sensation Herschel Jantjies was slated to provide scrumhalf cover but was withdrawn on Tuesday following a blow to his head in training. It is not expected to affect his potential inclusion in the Rugby World Cup squad.
‘This is a massive Test for us against a fired-up Argentina team that will be looking to end their Test campaign on a high,’ said Erasmus.
‘We’ve gained momentum over the Castle Lager Rugby Championship – the last thing we want to do is lose it.’
READ: Kolisi to start, Brits to lead Boks
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