Former Springbok assistant coach Gary Gold believes it would ‘make sense’ for Siya Kolisi to be leading the Boks.
In his column for TimesLive, Gold praised the Boks for the winning start they have made to the Rugby Championship, while highlighting the leadership qualities of Kolisi.
‘Siya Kolisi encapsulates the new-found attitude in the Springbok camp and wears his heart on his sleeve. Eben Etzebeth has done a wonderful job as captain in Warren Whiteley’s injury-enforced absence but there are many reasons why I feel Kolisi should comfortably be the next Springbok captain.
‘He is a world-class player, a natural leader and, as the incumbent Stormers skipper, has already proven his leadership ability. I’m not for a second taking anything away from Etzebeth but Kolisi leading the Springboks makes sense for South Africa.’
Gold said he also understood the reasoning behind the inclusion of Handré Pollard and Dillyn Leyds in the Springboks’ squad for the Australasian leg of the Rugby Championship.
‘Without a shadow of a doubt, Coetzee has made the correct call by sticking to his tried-and-tested personnel. The more they train and play together, the better they are going to become.
‘Some pundits have expressed reservations about the relatively green back three of Andries Coetzee, Raymond Rhule and Courtnall Skosan. They are new Springboks learning their way and are in the rookie stages of their international careers.
‘However, to single out individuals is not the answer. It’s less about the back three combination not playing as well as the week before and more about the players in question feeling as though they are part of something special.’
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