Head-to-head battle: Siya Kolisi v Tom Curry

A highly charged British and Irish Lions series against South Africa draws to a titanic conclusion at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

There are battles all over the field to keep an eye on here’s a look at one in the forward pack where Siya Kolisi and Tom Curry clash on the openside flank.

Siya Kolisi – South Africa

Club: Sharks

Position: Flanker

Age: 30

Caps: 52

Debut: v Scotland, 2013

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 16st 10lbs

Points: 30 (Tries – 6)

South Africa’s figurehead is a courageous and effective flanker who can play either side of the back-row. Although less of a fetcher and more suited to the hard-grafting role of a six, he is deployed at openside by the Springboks. Struggled for form coming into the series and then endured the setback of being diagnosed with coronavirus, resulting in a spell in quarantine that only ended on the Sunday before the first Test. However, the nation’s inspirational World Cup-winning skipper was a force of nature in the second game and was single-handedly responsible for denying Robbie Henshaw what would have been a crucial try. In a divided country, South Africa’s first black captain is seen as a unifying force.

Tom Curry – England

Club: Sale

Position: Flanker

Age: 23

Caps: 35 (including 2 Lions caps)

Debut: v Argentina, 2017

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 17st 3lbs

Points: 20 (Tries – 4)

Curry made his debut against Argentina in 2017, but it was in South Africa a year later when the Sale flanker truly rose to prominence. Starting all three of England’s Tests against the Springboks, the 19-year-old went toe to toe with some of the most ferocious forwards in the game and marked himself out as a star of the future. Fast forward three years and he is one of the most accomplished back-rows with his stellar performances at the 2019 World Cup earning a nomination for the player of the year. Good over the ball, a formidable carrier, powerful in defence and with a high work rate, he is the complete package who has yet to truly fire in this series.

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