Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick has given an injury update on Siya Kolisi, saying the World Cup-winning skipper is “surprising” Springbok management with his recovery.
Kolisi, along with flyhalf Handre Pollard, could play his first Test of 2023 in the World Cup warm-ups in August, and both seemingly showed no ill-effects of their knee injuries while doing light training with the squad this week in Johannesburg.
Ox Nche, too, was seen participating as the loosehead prop recovers from a pectoral injury that ruled him out of South Africa’s opening matches of the year.
The Boks launch their defence of the Webb Ellis Cup in France in September, and speaking to the media in the build-up to Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash against Argentina, Stick told reporters: “With the way Siya has been getting back into the swing of things, every time I see him, I am surprised with the things he does.
“The way he runs, the conditioning he does. It keeps on surprising me every day. To be honest, we trust all the guys in our team like Duane [Vermeulen] who has been around as a leader. Eben [Etzebeth] has been around and we have guys like your Lukhanyo Am you know.
“But once again, he [Kolisi] is one of those massive guys in our team regarding his leadership skills.
“And if you can have him back for the World Cup, it will be a bonus. It will be nice for us as a team. Because we are not only focusing on what we can achieve today, it is something we have been building since Rassie [Erasmus] came back in 2018.
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“We have this strong group of leaders and they’ve got their own way of doing things on the field. It’s good to see Siya running, even a guy like Handre who hasn’t been running, I saw him today. Ox Nche was also running a bit.
“Hopefully everything will go well and they have the chance to get back into the squad.”
Stick also stressed the importance of closing off the home leg of their 2023 season on a high note before the defending champions enter their World Cup warm-ups.
“It would be stupid to write off Argentina especially after their victory against Australia. They’ve delivered some fantastic results in the last two seasons, so you can never underestimate them. They are a good team and if we are off our game, they will punish us,” he said.
“Hopefully we can go out there tomorrow and rectify the things we did wrong against New Zealand.
“It’s also our last home game before the Rugby World Cup, so it’s important to deliver a good performance.”
The Bok may still be in the Rugby Championship title race if Australia deliver a surprise result against the All Blacks in Melbourne on Saturday, but Stick took a realistic view about their chances: “We didn’t touch on that as a team because that’s out of our control. The focus for us has been on playing well and giving Argentina the respect they deserve.”
The Boks will make light work of Argentina when the two sides meet in the Rugby Championship on Saturday, according to @mark_keohane and Zels. pic.twitter.com/xEbw1fQZ5o
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) July 27, 2023
Photo: Wikus de Wet/AFP