[LOOK] Kolisi will be ready: Captain on track for France
|Published
Going good: skipper Siya Kolisi
The Springbok camp is confident that captain Siya Kolisi will be fit and ready to go by the time the World Cup in France comes around.
The Bok skipper underwent knee surgery at the end of April and is in a race against time to be fit for the World Cup.
But there was good news from the Bok camp in Pretoria on Wednesday, with coach Jacques Nienaber saying: “Siya is on track with his rehabilitation, and he’s hitting all his targets.
#Springboks news from Pretoria: Kolisi's recovery is on track amid flyhalf concerns - more here: https://t.co/elkRG6D2Op 💚#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/jS1Iy7bOx6
— Springboks (@Springboks) June 14, 2023
Director of rugby Rassie Erasmus adds: “Our target at this stage is to have Siya ready to play one or two warmup games before the World Cup.”
Kolisi will miss the Rugby Championship which starts against Australia next month, with a new captain to be appointed for that tournament.
The likes of Steven Kitshoff, Eben Etzebeth, Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph dy Toit, Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am are in the running to exit the tunnel first.
With the good comes the bad and the Boks also revealed that utility back Damian Willemse suffered a knock to the knee, while fellow flyhalf Handre Pollard is recovering from a leg injury.
Erasmus adds of the situation at 10: “Handre has a calf [injury] again and it could take a longer for him to be back than we had hoped.
“He’ll definitely be fine for the World Cup, but we’ll have to monitor his progress to determine exactly when he will be able to play. This means that out of three flyhalves, Manie [Libbok] is the only fit one.”
He adds: “A guy like Elton [Jantjies] is playing good rugby at the moment, and we’ll consider him. For now, our team doctor will keep a close eye on the other flyhalves and their recovery.”