Dan Biggar: Siya Kolisi is a better captain than Richie McCaw and Greatest Rivalry turnaround showed why
Current Springboks captain Siya Kolisi and All Blacks legend Richie McCaw.
Siya Kolisi once again proved to be an inspirational figure in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, showing why he is a better captain than All Blacks legend Richie McCaw.
That is according to Wales legend Dan Biggar, who felt the 35-year-old’s return from injury played a big part in their 3-1 victory over New Zealand in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.
Kolisi missed the opener at Ellis Park as Rassie Erasmus gave him more time to recover from a hamstring injury with the inexperienced Paul de Villiers getting the nod instead.
De Villiers was outstanding in the skipper’s absence in the Nations Championship, but the double Rugby World Cup winner’s influence was perhaps missed in the first All Blacks clash.
Boks turn it around after Kolisi’s return
New Zealand ended up claiming a 33-16 triumph in Johannesburg before he returned to captain the side in three successive wins in Cape Town, Soweto and Baltimore.
After leading the Springboks to global titles in 2019 and 2023, and a British and Irish Lions series success in 2021, Kolisi has another thing to add to his list of achievements.
“In the first Test, they bombed a load of chances. There are people who say: ‘Siya’s not the best player’ and all that. I thought he was amazing as a player, but it just goes to show the influence he’s got and all of those things [they’ve achieved], he’s been captain of,” Biggar said on the The Rugby Pod.
“McCaw was amazing and everything but it’s hard to see how there’s a better international captain that we’ve seen.”
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As well as being an impressive captain, Kolisi is part of a well-drilled pack which is comfortably the best in the world.
South Africa’s forward eight was the big difference in the series with the scrum in particular having great success against the All Blacks front five.
That platform has been key in the trophies they have won under Erasmus, while also allowing them to remain in games when they are perhaps not at their best.
Springboks’ outstanding fundamentals
“There’s a mad stat about South Africa that since the opening game of the ’19 World Cup, they’ve only lost six games out of 79 by over one score – only six times have they won by more than seven points,” Biggar said.
“It’s because they do the basics bloody well and they don’t gift the opposition [chances], and they don’t get too loose. They make sure they’re always in the game with the scrum, kicking game and that is how you win.
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“Nobody has got a leg to stand on against this Springbok team. We all saw it, the All Blacks attack and the way that they move the ball and the way they took it to the Springboks was incredible, and they are going to be there or thereabouts in a year’s time, but all these things we keep saying about them is because they are bloody good at the basics and they’ve got an amazing set-piece, amazing kicking game and amazing aerial game.”
