1 day Ago By The Straits Times
South Africa's Siya Kolisi was taken to Argentina as a back-up in the squad. SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO – South Africa captain Siya Kolisi will have a new role in the coach’s box during their Rugby Championship Test in Argentina on Sept 21, having been left out of the matchday 23 for the potentially decisive clash in Santiago del Estero. The double World Cup-winning skipper was taken to Argentina as a back-up in the squad, should any of the other flankers be unavailable to play and will be given a taste of what it is like to sit alongside coach Rassie Erasmus.
It is part of the latter’s plan to help senior players understand how and why decisions are made during matches and is something he has done before, notably with former No. 8 Duane Vermeulen during the 2023 Rugby World Cup. “Siya was not brought (to Argentina) to play, but to be on standby if someone gets injured and also to help lead the team off the field,” Erasmus said on Sept 17.
“We want to get Siya into the coach’s box. He doesn’t know what happens up there and we want to give him a feel of how we come to a decision during a game. To understand how to interpret the information we send out.
” Kolisi, who has been playing with a fractured nose, will likely be back in the team for the home game against Argentina in Nelspruit on Sept 28 after which he will have an operation. Erasmus has been impressed with Argentina, who have won away in New Zealand (38-30) and thumped Australia at home (67-27) already in this championship and are the only team who can catch the Springboks at the top of the table. “We are playing against a team that has got their future in their own hands as well.
They will go for it,” he said. “But we are also very desperate and very proud. The older guys have told the younger boys what it will be like on the field.
If you can come off the field in Argentina saying you gave everything, win or lose, you will be a better player. “They (Argentina) have got the ability of making the game really fast and open..
. Then you have the tough boys up front. They have a blend of a solid pack of forwards and speed in the backs.
” In the other Test on Sept 21, Australia may appear at a low ebb after a record 40-point drubbing by Argentina, but New Zealand are taking the Wallabies’ threat seriously, given the inside knowledge of Australia coach Joe Schmidt. The New Zealander knows plenty about the All Blacks. He was named an All Blacks selector at the end of 2021 and then joined Ian Foster’s staff as an attack coach and strategist as the team slogged through an unprecedented rough patch.
Schmidt was seen as instrumental in the All Blacks’ resurgence as they marched to the brink of a fourth World Cup in 2023, which may be why they are wary despite the gloom that followed the Wallabies’ loss to the Pumas. “It’s just his relentless drive to coach the little things that really matter in the game, like making sure you win the clean-out race and win the air and things like that..
. the grey areas of the game. That can be the difference,” All Blacks midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown said.
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