Siya Kolisi injury update as Springboks face nervous wait ahead of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series with All Blacks
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi lasted just 24 minutes against Argentina.
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has opened up on the injury he suffered during the international clash with Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
The flanker left the field after 24 minutes due to a hamstring problem and had to watch the remainder of the Test from the sideline, a match South Africa edged 17-10.
Tries from Edwill van der Merwe and Cameron Hanekom were added to by points from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handre Pollard in a close-fought encounter.
Kolisi injury
But there is concern for the Springboks, especially with the Greatest Rivalry Tests against the All Blacks on the horizon, as flanker Kolisi was a casualty in the triumph.
Speaking after the away success, Kolisi was philosophical about the injury and revealed that his first port of call would be a scan to ascertain the severity of the issue.
“I hurt my hamstring again, unfortunately. So, I’ll go for a scan and see how far it is,” he told ESPN Scrum at full-time on the sideline of the Estadio José Amalfitani.
“It is really tough, but I can’t be sad about it,” the skipper added. “There is nothing I can do now, other than to go and have a scan and then see how long I’m out for.”
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
There was a more positive outlook on the injury from Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus however, whose response to the injury should calm any concerned fans.
“He injured his hamstring, the other hamstring, but it doesn’t look too bad,” he said before lauding the Bok veteran’s on-field impact during those opening 24 minutes.
“I thought Siya was really dynamic with his carries and his clean-outs.”
The scoreline reflects just how tough an assignment this was for the Springboks and there was no doubt they were given an full-blooded test ahead of the All Blacks series.
Speaking in the aftermath of the result, Kolisi found time to praise the force Los Pumas have become, and he was equally delighted with how his side rose to the challenge.
“I think, going back to last week, everyone said Argentina‘s earlier result (v England) didn’t count for much, but even a draw would’ve earned them a good return,” he said.
Huge respect
“We have a huge amount of respect for them, and we could easily have lost this game. Home or away, they’re one of the toughest teams we play all year. I thought it was going to be a real battle, and we were fortunate to come through it.”
The focus of course now turns to the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand and South Africa will fly home in two groups, one on Sunday and one on Monday.
There they will join up with the rest of their teammates in Johannesburg who have already turned their focus to those three Tests on home soil before one in Baltimore, USA.
