Siya Kolisi is set to lead the Springboks for the 72nd time on July 4, returning to Ellis Park to face England — the exact venue and opponent of his emotional captaincy debut eight years ago. Photo: Backpagepix
On July 4 at Ellis Park, Siya Kolisi will lead the Springboks for the 72nd time, in the season-opener against England.
The captaincy armband long ago became a part of his match-day uniform, but how well he recalls the tumult of captaining the Boks for the first time, eight years ago, against the same opponents and at the same venue.
There had been massive pre-match hype around the 26-year-old being the Springboks’ first black African captain, but the excitement turned to horror when the Boks plunged to a 24-3 deficit in the opening quarter as Eddie Jones’ England ran riot. The Boks were shell-shocked and none more so than Kolisi, as he candidly admitted in a press conference 10 days before England’s return to Ellis Park.
“I remember it was very tough and emotional,” Kolisi said of the match, eventually won 42-39 after a magnificent South African comeback.
