Kolisi at sixes and sevens
Siya Kolisi may not care what number he has on his Springbok jersey, but his assigned role of openside flank could be very significant.
The 21-year-old loose forward burst onto the Super Rugby scene when Schalk Burger went down with that fateful knee injury in the Stormers' opening game and has not looked back since, working as hard as any loose forward in the competition to force his way into the Bok squad.
Although he had been used in the Currie Cup last year as a tackle-busting blindside flank Kolisi soon proved that he could add plenty of value on the openside for the Stormers through his high work-rate on defence and considerable physicality.
Kolisi's role at the Stormers this year is typical of the top three South African franchises who all put a focus on physicality and pressure in a similar way to the Springbok team selection and gameplan against England.
Whilst traditional openside flanks like Michael Hooper, Matt Todd, David Pocock and Richie McCaw have been instrumental for their franchises this year the only candidates that South Africa have in this mould are Heinrich Brussow and Derrick Minnie.
The reasoning behind picking players like Marcell Coetzee, Keegan Daniel, Dewald Potgieter and Kolisi at openside is that having an extra man in the defensive line is more valuable, and competing for turnovers should not be assigned to one player.
Whether or not you agree with the role that Heyneke Meyer wants his openside flanks to play it does help that Kolisi will be comfortable with what is expected of him as he has done it all year for the Stormers and although he has the ability to play all three position in the loose trio, role definition at this early stage of his career could be vital
"I am comfortable playing in any position, but for now they see me as an openside and obviously I don't mind as long as I am in the team," said Kolisi.
Reflecting on his rapid rise this year Kolisi said that while it had been bittersweet to be handed an opportunity through Burger's injury, he had made the most of it, which is what he aims to do at the next level now that he is in the Springbok squad.
"When you get an opportunity you have got to take it no matter what the circumstances are and that is what I did so it has been a good year.
"I am just going to focus on learning and when an opportunity presents itself then obviously I am going to have to take it," he said.
Kolisi said that he is determined to keep improving his game, with his line-out work and effectiveness as a ball-carrier areas that he has targeted to sharpen up in.
"It is always good for a loose forward to be a line-out option and with carrying you have just got to get over the advantage line and get metres so I need to work on it and carry even more, " he said.
This reveals exactly what Meyer has prioritised and indicates that we are unlikely to see an approach much different from the total onslaught style that his team attacked England with.
The focus is likely to be on gaining momentum in the collisions and dominating territory in order to pressurise the opposition into submission, which as we have seen in Super Rugby seems to be the South African way.
By Michael de Vries
