Siya Kolisi has been passed fit to captain South Africa in the second Test against New Zealand in Cape Town, giving the Springboks a significant boost as they look to level the series.
The 35-year-old flanker had been bracketed alongside Paul de Villiers in the No 6 shirt when Rassie Erasmus named his team on Monday, after suffering two hamstring injuries this summer. But Kolisi has now been declared good to go after coming through training.
“Siya will be starting and he will captain the team,” Erasmus said. “It was a hamstring niggle, not something major like he had before 2019 or 2023. It was a grade two tear, and it takes a little time to recover, and that's why we've been cautious.”
Pieter-Steph du Toit, who had led the side in Kolisi’s absence, will win his 100th cap in Cape Town. Erasmus explained that the milestone influenced the captaincy decision, saying: “In this match you probably don't want captaincy responsibilities, with the 100 to think about, and on top of that needing to play well, so Siya is our captain.”
The four-match Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series continues with another meeting in Johannesburg on 5 September, before concluding in Baltimore seven days later.