Where Siya Kolisi beats Richie McCaw as ‘rugby’s finest captain’ according to ex-England international
Split with Richie McCaw, Siya Kolisi and Stuart Barnes.
Former England fly-half Stuart Barnes has hailed Siya Kolisi as “rugby’s finest captain” above the great Richie McCaw ahead of another instalment of the Springboks rivalry with the All Blacks.
The praise comes after Kolisi pushed back surgery for a broken nose picked up in the Ellis Park Test so that he could face the All Blacks again this weekend as the Springboks push for their first Freedom Cup since 2009.
“Leadership is intangible”
Writing in his Times column, Barnes admitted that in a technical sense, Kolisi may not be the best but his leadership skills are invaluable.
“Other open-sides have better distribution skills, deadlier instincts over the breakdown and superior attack and defence games but there’s probably not a bigger presence in the Test arena. He may not be a great player in the technical sense but his leadership is an intangible that goes beyond soulless statistics,” Barnes wrote in the Times.
Siya Kolisi: ‘We’ve only seen photographs of the Freedom Cup’
Barnes went on to compare Kolisi to McCaw, the only two captains to lift back-to-back World Cup titles, and concluded that the South African’s influence on his country makes him the greater leader.
“This century, only Richie McCaw rivals his qualities as a leader but Kolisi’s unifying presence for the Springboks marks him out as rugby’s finest captain in the professional era. The South Africa team announcement was delayed until Thursday because of a heavy blow Kolisi took to his cheekbone during his side’s 31-27 win over the All Blacks in Johannesburg last Saturday.”
“Cloaked in aura”
The former pivot drew further comparison with a New Zealand player but this time Sam Cane.
“Cane is an outstanding example in terms of his utter commitment to the All Black cause but that is where any comparison to his opposite number ends. Ian Foster had made him the captain after Kieran Read’s distinguished attempt to fill McCaw’s shoes. It has been a case of gradual decline. Cane’s words struggle to flow with any great ease and whereas Kolisi is cloaked in aura, the New Zealander comes across as invisible. The need for a new leader would have been obvious were Cane, 32, not heading towards retirement from the Test game.”
It all sets up for a massive clash with the Springboks desperate to double down to secure silverware while the All Blacks would have felt they could have won in Johannesburg and will inevitably be gearing up for a big backlash in Cape Town.
