Rassie's dilemma for Kolisi's Test milestone
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus will have a tough decision when it comes to deciding where captain Siya Kolisi will play his 100th Test.
During Erasmus’ era, two players have gone on to become Test centurions in Eben Etzebeth (2022) and Willie le Roux (2025).
There are more players on the verge of becoming Test centurions, such as Damian de Allende and Pieter-Steph du Toit (both 92), and captain Siya Kolisi, who is on 97 caps after the Test against Argentina in Durban.
Kolisi will, in all likelihood, be the first to reach his milestone, and it might not happen on home soil.
If selected, he will earn Test No.98 against Argentina in London before the Boks start their end-of-year tour against Japan, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales in November.
Erasmus said it would be an “emotional decision” to select Kolisi for his 100th Test on overseas soil.
He, however, warned that focusing on a player’s milestone match could become a distraction and have negative consequences.
Erasmus also mentioned that Kolisi, Du Toit and De Allende aren’t the only players the Boks are looking to get milestone Tests for in the future.
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“There are so many emotional decisions one has to make.
“We are tight and very good friends, and there’s a mutual belief in each other.
“We have [Makazole] Mapimpi, who is on 47 [Test caps], and we want to get him to 50 Tests, and Siya [Kolisi] has 97 caps.
“You can’t always plan where players will earn their 100th Test cap.
“If you start thinking too much about it, that’s when you start risking losing Tests sometimes.
“Whether he does it against France or wherever it may be, we will celebrate it there when it happens.
“As mentioned, we want to get Makazole Mapimpi to his milestone.
“And we don’t forget players such as Jaden and Jordan [Hendrikse], Elrich [Louw], Ben-Jason [Dixon], [Ntuthuko] Mchunu, Gerhard Steenekamp and Salmaan Moerat.
“Then there’s also guys like Kurt-Lee [Arendse], Edwill [Van der Merwe] and [Aphelele] Fassi.
“There are plenty of other players who have played for us [who could be back in the mix].
“We try to work it out as best as possible.
‘I don’t think we’re in a position after this game [Argentina] where we get France, Ireland and Japan to plan for Siya’s centurion match.
“So he will have to take it as it comes.”
