24 June 2019, by: Carl Lewis

SPRINGBOK SQUAD TALKING POINTS

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will be casting a wide net in search of a stand-in captain or captains for the injured Siya Kolisi.

Erasmus confirmed that Kolisi’s knee injury will in all likelihood see him miss the Rugby Championship opener against Australia at Ellis Park on July 20 and the Test against the All Blacks in Wellington a week later.

Erasmus hinted at the possibility of naming more than one captain to lead the Boks, he said:

“We have a few players who need game time, who we want to consider for captaincy. Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit haven’t played a lot lately – both need game time and might be considered for the captaincy, while we also have the likes of Duane Vermeulen, Steven Kitshoff and Malcolm Marx, all of whom have captained their respective franchise teams this season.”

Let’s take a look at the list of candidates:

The veteran No 8 is already a leader within the Springbok camp and has stood in as skipper on a few occasions. The 32-year-old is held in high esteem by players and fans.

Since returning to South African rugby, he’s been a key factor in the Bulls resurgence and stood in for Handre Pollard during the 2019 Super Rugby season.

Given the Siya Kolisi will be out for the Rugby Championship, Vermeulen is probably the front runner and the best short term fix.

Pollard led the Bulls well in 2019 and has always enjoyed responsibility. The playmaker comes across as a natural leader in his role as a pivot. After Lood de Jager got injured, Pollard deputised and flourished as captain of the Bulls. It remains to be seen of Rassie Erasmus will add more responsibility to Pollard’s list of duties.

A definite starter for the Boks, a respected figure in world rugby and has shown a capacity for leadership during the Lions Super Rugby campaign.

Marx ticks a lot of boxes necessary for an international captain. He would be an outsider for the role but Marx would definitely have the backing of the players.

Both are long shots for the role, both would also be quiet leaders who lead by example. Kitshoff captained the Stormers in the latter stages of their season while the ‘Beast’ is a respected and experienced figure for the Sharks and Boks. They’ll be fighting over the same starting berth at loosehead.

The aggressive second-rower has already captained the Springboks in 10 Tests in 2017. Former coach Allister Coetzee named him as skipper after Warren Whiteley was struck by injury. Unfortunately, Etzebeth’ captaincy record does not make for good reading.

Besides a poor overall record, he was also in charge of the Boks record 57-0 loss to the All Blacks. He remains a key leadership figure for the team but it would come as a surprise if he was re-appointed.

The current SA Rugby Player of the Year captained the Boks once, it was against Wales in Washington last year. He is one of the leaders in the team, if not the most vocal one. The versatile forward is an absolute machine and embodies the phrase ‘leading from the front’.

? ICYMI: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named a preliminary squad ahead of the Rugby Championship in June and of course the #RWC2019 in Japan later this year. ? @Carl_LewisZA discusses the most intriguing selections from Erasmus.https://t.co/u1qfY2ll2h — BET.co.za (@betcoza) June 25, 2019

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