With Siya Kolisi a doubt for the Springboks\u2019 clash against the All Blacks at Eden Park, we take a look at the options at Rassie Erasmus\u2019 disposal.<\/b><\/p>\n
The double Rugby World Cup-winning captain travelled with the Springboks squad to New Zealand for rounds three and four of the Rugby Championship, but his involvement in the highly anticipated fixture in Auckland is \u2018touch-and-go\u2019 according to Erasmus.<\/p>\n
The Springboks<\/a> head coach states that Kolisi<\/a> will definitely be fit for the second game against the All Blacks<\/a>, but they have opted to delay the squad announcement partly due to the skipper\u2019s fitness.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s again one of those calls that must be made with a little bit of a longer-term mindset. He\u2019ll definitely be available next week,\u201d Erasmus<\/a> told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will only announce the team on Thursday, but at this stage, he is bracketed just to make 100% sure we don\u2019t push him.<\/p>\n \u201cInitially, we thought he was going to be out with a six to eight-week injury, and then the scan came back much clearer. So, we\u2019ll make that call a little bit later in the week, but next week, he will be 100%.\u201d<\/p>\n Kolisi missed the second Test match against Australia in Cape Town after sustaining the setback at Ellis Park the week prior, where he played in the number eight jumper \u2013 a first for him in the Springboks jersey.<\/p>\n If fit, Kolisi is bound to skipper the Boks in their first game at Eden Park since 2013, but we take a look at the captaincy and back-row permutations if he misses out on the encounter.<\/p>\n The captaincy<\/p>\n Erasmus is not short on captaincy options within the squad, with several experienced campaigners in the touring party.<\/p>\n This year, Jesse Kriel became the 67th Test captain of the Springboks when he led the side against Italy in Pretoria after skippering the team the week prior in the uncapped game against the Barbarians.<\/p>\n When Kolisi was ruled out of the fixture against the Wallabies in Cape Town, it was the experienced midfield that Erasmus turned to once again.<\/p>\n Hooker Bongi Mbonambi twice captained the Springboks during the Rugby World Cup in France, but the front rower has missed the trip to New Zealand as he deals with a personal matter, while there are other options in the pack too.<\/p>\n Lock Eben Etzebeth has captained South Africa on 14 occasions previously and would certainly be in the running for the honour if Kolisi is ruled out. However, the most capped Bok of all time does not have a great record of skippering the side against New Zealand.<\/p>\n In 2017, he had the captain\u2019s armband when the All Blacks thrashed the Springboks 57-0 at North Harbour Stadium, and he led the side again in the 24-25 defeat in Cape Town the following month.<\/p>\n Rassie Erasmus delays Springboks team announcement to keep All Blacks \u2018guessing\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n When Kolisi missed the 2023 match at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, Etzebeth led the team, and once again, the Boks were beaten, 35-20. The lock remains a leader in the team, but in recent times, Erasmus has turned to other experienced campaigners to captain the side and could do so again this weekend, with Pieter-Steph du Toit being another candidate.<\/p>\n Du Toit is not the most outspoken Springbok, but he is certainly one of the most respected players in the squad. In 2024, he took over the captaincy on multiple occasions when Kolisi had left the pitch. He also led the team for the second time in his career in the opening match of the year against Wales.<\/p>\n While Ox Nche was named the vice-captain for the Springboks\u2019 match against Australia in Cape Town, it seems rather unlikely that the prop will get the nod for the clash against the All Blacks, while there is an outside chance that Erasmus turns to another experienced back in Handre Pollard.<\/p>\n Pollard is often put down as the vice captain of the team and has captained the Springboks on one occasion previously, the 2022 defeat to Wales in Bloemfontein.<\/p>\n Based on the selections so far this year, Kriel looks the most likely to captain the team in Kolisi\u2019s absence, but Erasmus is certainly not short on options.<\/p>\n Justin Marshall: Springboks have achieved everything but Rassie Erasmus will want one more thing in his trophy cabinet<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Who plays eight?<\/p>\n Erasmus did not detail which position Kolisi has been \u2018bracketed\u2019 down for, but it\u2019s surely the number six and eight jerseys.<\/p>\n South Africa have suffered several setbacks in the number eight position with rising star Cameron Hanekom missing the entire international season along with his Bulls teammate Elrigh Louw. Jasper Wiese\u2019s suspension has further depleted the options, as has the injury to uncapped star Juarno Augustus.<\/p>\n However, Jean-Luc du Preez has made the trip to New Zealand with the squad and could well be the frontrunner for the number eight jersey after he was a late scratch from the team to face the Wallabies last time due to illness.<\/p>\n The 30-year-old has been a victim of the Springboks\u2019 loose forward depth over the last eight years, but he could now earn his first start for South Africa in a Test match since facing England in 2017.<\/p>\n He will have stiff competition for the jersey, though, with Kwagga Smith impressing in Du Preez\u2019s absence in Cape Town. The livewire back-rower has shone off the bench for the Springboks for much of his international career, and while he hasn\u2019t quite provided the same spark when given the opportunity to start, he was one of the standout performers against the Wallabies.<\/p>\n The other option at number eight is rather unlikely, but not impossible, in Pieter-Steph du Toit. The reigning World Rugby Player of the Year has never started in the position for the Springboks but has done so repeatedly for his Japanese club, Toyota Verblitz.<\/p>\n