Kolisi stays home to recover
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed the touring squad of 36 players for their Rugby Championship matches against New Zealand and Argentina in the next three weeks.
South African captain Siya Kolisi will take no part in this year’s Rugby Championship, after he was left out of the squad.
Loose forward Kolisi is recovering from a knee injury sustained while playing for the Stormers in Super Rugby in May.
His priority now is to be ready for the Boks’ opening game of the World Cup in Japan against New Zealand on September 21.
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, speaking earlier this month, said they won’t rush Kolisi back into action.
“We will probably a bit conservative with Siya to make sure he is ready for the Rugby World Cup, which is the most important part of the year,” the coach said at the time.
“Siya will be training with us until we leave for New Zealand and then he will probably stay behind to play one or two Currie Cup games. Thereafter, we plan to get him back into playing Test match rugby, hopefully in the match against Argentina [in Pretoria on August 17], and then it’s on the plane with us to Japan.
“I think if we push him now to go with us to New Zealand, we might end up with more than a 50 percent chance that he won’t go with us to the World Cup.”
Erasmus, coaching staff and eight players jetted out of Johannesburg soon after the team’s 35-17 victory over Australia at Ellis Park on Saturday,
They joined an advance party of 14 players who left on Thursday.
A further 10 players will take the next available flight, on Sunday.
The scheduling means that Erasmus will have 22 players for a field training session in Wellington on Monday.
The eight players who travelled on Saturday evening were Eben Etzebeth, Jesse Kriel, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Rynhardt Elstadt, Trevor Nyakane, Elton Jantjies, Herschel Jantjies and Bongi Mbonambi.
Departing on Sunday are Marcell Coetzee, Francois Louw, Lodewyk de Jager, Tendai Mtawarira, Schalk Brits, Cobus Reinach, Sibusiso Nkosi, Makazole Mapimpi, Frans Steyn and Vincent Koch.
In addition, a further four players, Lizo Gqoboka, Warrick Gelant, Marvin Orie and Andre Esterhuizen, will be joining the Springboks in New Zealand during the next few days.
Marco van Staden (Blue Bulls) and Dillyn Leyds (Western Province) have been released to their provinces until the Springboks returns from their tour.
The Springboks play New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday, before travelling to Argentina to meet the Pumas in Salta on August 10.
South African squad:
Forwards: Schalk Brits (Bulls), Marcell Coetzee (Ulster, Ireland), Lodewyk de Jager (Bulls), Thomas du Toit (Sharks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Stormers), Rynhardt Elstadt (Toulouse, France), Eben Etzebeth (Stormers), Lizo Gqoboka (Bulls), Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), Vincent Koch (Saracens, England), Francois Louw (Bath, England), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Malcolm Marx (Lions), Bongi Mbonambi (Stormers), Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Gloucester, England), Trevor Nyakane (Bulls), Marvin Orie (Lions), Albertus Smith (Lions), Rudolph Snyman (Bulls), Duane Vermeulen (Bulls).
Backs: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Damian de Allende (Stormers), Francois de Klerk (Sale Sharks, England), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Warrick Gelant (Bulls), Elton Jantjies (Lions), Herschel Jantjies (Stormers), Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse, France), Jesse Kriel (Bulls), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Sibusiso Nkosi (Sharks), Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz, Japan), Handré Pollard (Bulls), Cobus Reinach (Northampton Saints, England), Frans Steyn (Montpellier, France).
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