The South African rugby fraternity is breathing a sigh of relief following the news that Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi is on a recovery path.
In an update released by SA Rugby, Kolisi is on the right track with his rehabilitation and that is according to coach Jacques Nienaber.
The coach and SA Rugby Director of Rugby, Rassie Erasmus gave Mzansi the good news about the Boks captain on Wednesday.
Erasmus said they hoped the outgoing Cell C Sharks star would return to the field before the Rugby World Cup in France.
At the same time, the duo also stressed the importance of having the Gqeberha-born player for the global tournament and talked about the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
“Siya is on track with his rehabilitation, and he’s hitting all his targets,” said Nienaber.
Erasmus added that their primary target at this stage is to have Siya ready to play one or two warm-up games before the World Cup.
In addition, the coach talked about focusing on the first task at hand in a season that features a condensed Castle Lager Rugby Championship, three World Cup warm-up games, and the tournament itself.
“The World Cup is obviously the big one for us this year, but our focus is on our first Test against Australia,” said Nienaber.
With Kolisi set to miss the southern hemisphere showpiece, Erasmus explained that there were a number of potential interim players capable of wearing the captain’s armband for other Tests.
He mentioned the likes of Steven Kitshoff (prop), Eben Etzebeth (lock), Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit (both loose forwards), Damian de Allende as well as Lukhanyo Am (both centres).
It is mentioned that Handre Pollard has sustained a calf (injury) again and it could take longer for him to be back than we had hoped, Erasmus noted.
@HighStreet said: “I’m British but this is fantastic news, would love to see the Boks win the WC.”
In conclusion, the veteran coach revealed that Elton Jantjies was an option as fly-half cover depending on the speed of Pollard and Willemse’s recovery.
Main Image: Siya Kolisi/SARugby
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