Springboks could be boosted by Kolisi availability
There is hope in the Springbok camp that the injury suffered by captain Siya Kolisi on Saturday may not be as bad as first feared.
In a bruising battle between the Springboks and All Blacks at Ellis Park, Kolisi suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone, and he was widely expected to be unavailable this week.
However, it was interestingly confirmed on Monday that the Springbok team announcement had been delayed to Thursday, perhaps allowing more time for Kolisi to recover.
At a press conference, assistant coach Daan Human also revealed that Kolisi’s injury was being further assessed, admitting that there was indeed a chance he could be available for selection for this Saturday’s ‘rematch’.
If Kolisi is ultimately unable to be passed fit, Marco van Staden is then likely to return to the matchday 23, while Kwagga Smith at 6 could be another option.
Could the Springboks have Kolisi available this week?
Ever-increasing injury list
Last week, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus already highlighted the long list of players unavailable for selection, ranging from Damian Willemse to Andre Esterhuizen to Franco Mostert to Faf de Klerk and RG Snyman.
Meanwhile, Kurt-Lee Arendse was knocked out cold at Ellis Park, and HIA protocols dictate that he definitely won’t be available this week.
Coming back to the injury of Kolisi, though, Human had the following insight to share.
“So far, they are still busy assessing the possibility of him being available to for us in the week,” Human said.
“We will see how he goes through this week. He’s important for us, but if he’s not [available], then next man in.”
The Springbok captain was injured in what seemed to be a high tackle from All Blacks flanker Sam Cane, but he will not be cited, as the decision has been made that the tackle did not reach the red card threshold.
“It was a proper knock,” Human said. “I can’t go into what the refs and the TMO saw. We’ve just seen what we’ve seen. Hopefully Siya can recover soon and be fit to play the game.
“It’s up to them what they decide, if it was a red card or a yellow card. I don’t think we will ever go into the ref’s decisions or World Rugby’s decisions on that. It’s in the past and we are looking forward to Saturday.”