Springboks: Why Siya Kolisi is in the coaching box against Argentina
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi was spotted in the coaching box during South Africa’s Rugby Championship clash against Argentina on Saturday.
It’s not the first time that a Springboks player has joined Rassie Erasmus and his coaching team in the box as Duane Vermeulen memorably did so during the World Cup match against Scotland.
Ahead of the clash against Los Pumas, head coach Erasmus revealed that part of the reason Kolisi travelled with the squad to Argentina was for him to experience what occurs during a match in the box.
Siya Kolisi in the Springboks’ coaching box
The Springboks captain travelled with the squad as a potential substitute in the event of an injury and was not set to feature in the matchday 23 despite being fit. He sustained a facial injury in the first Test against the All Blacks and while he does require a procedure to rectify the issue, Erasmus stated that it can be delayed for a few more weeks.
“Siya was brought here not to play, but as standby, if someone gets injured,” Erasmus explained.
“But also helping to prepare the team off the field while preparing for this important game. It was always the plan that he wouldn’t play.
“Siya can play in Mbombela next week and then he can have a reset, so he will have it fixed after Mbombela.”
Erasmus then revealed that Kolisi would be in the coaches’ box and explained the reasoning behind the decision.
“The one thing we also want to do is get Siya in the coaches’ box. We’ve Duane on the side who relays the messages to Siya and the decision-makers on the field,” he added.
“But he actually doesn’t know what is happening in the coaches box so we want to give him a feel of how we get to a decision or how we send a message down so that he understands the whole process.
“Two years ago Duane had a better understanding of how to interpret information he received and we hope to do the same with Siya this week.”
🇿🇦 Rassie Erasmus is innovating again!
🗣️ The tactician explains why captain Siya Kolisi will be in the Springboks coaching box for the Argentina Test this weekend. #RugbyChampionship #ARGvRSA pic.twitter.com/9WdgL9rg7v
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 18, 2024
Strongest team to close out the Rugby Championship
While Kolisi missed the first clash against Argentina, he is set to feature in the Springboks’ final home game of the year when South Africa clashes with Argentina in Nelspruit.
“We have had our times when we have experimented with almost a new XV like this week we have made ten changes,” Erasmus explained.
“Sometimes, we have added one or two new guys into the team but now we are at the stage where we feel that this is the last game that we will really experiment.
“And then we will go next week and play the final match in South Africa, where we will have one or two youngsters who are actually ahead of the older guys.
“But we won’t just be giving guys caps there [in Nelspruit] at our last home game of the Rugby Championship.
“We will probably go with our strongest possible selection.”