Will Springbok captain Siya Kolisi be ready to face the All Blacks on Saturday? That is one of the big questions the world champions will answer this week ahead of the opening Test at Ellis Park.
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus faces a compelling set of selection dilemmas ahead of Saturday’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry opener against the All Blacks at Ellis Park.
Erasmus is set to announce his just before 2pm on Thursday afternoon.
The headline concern leading into the encounter was the fitness of captain Siya Kolisi, who limped off just 24 minutes into his comeback match against Argentina with a recurring hamstring injury. However, assistant coach Felix Jones this week said that he came through their sessions on Monday and Tuesday unscathed.
Star loosehead prop Ox Nché, who sustained a knee injury against England in the Nations Championship, is also tracking well ahead of the match. Including Nché is a risk that the Boks can afford to take, as they are likely to have two players who can play at loosehead on the bench, with the versatile Jan-Hendrik Wessels likely to be among the replacements to cover hooker and prop.
