Kolisi Amongst Four Players To Miss Boks Vs Australia

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has confirmed a massive injury blow, with captain Siya Kolisi, World Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse, and Edwill van der Merwe all ruled out for the second test against Australia.

The quartet will miss Saturday’s Rugby Championship match at DHL Stadium. The back-to-back world champions are coming off a rare 38-22 defeat to the Wallabies at Ellis Park, which was the first loss to Australia at that venue in 62 years.

The Springboks had led 22-5 at halftime before the visitors staged a stunning comeback, scoring five second-half tries to snatch the victory.

On a brighter note, Cheslin Kolbe and Damian de Allende have both recovered from their niggles and are available for selection.

“Siya and Kurt-Lee suffered knee injuries, while Pieter-Steph is nursing a concussion, and Edwill has an ankle niggle, so we’ll make a few changes to the team this week,” Erasmus said. “Damian and Cheslin are back from injury, and their experience is always valuable to the team.”

With Kolisi sidelined, Jesse Kriel will captain the Boks. The full match-day squad will be announced on Tuesday. Despite the disappointing loss, both Erasmus and utility back Canan Moodie expressed the team’s determination to bounce back.

“Everyone in the group agrees on what we have to do and what we need to get right this week, and our focus will go into that at training,” Erasmus stated.

“There’s still a lot of frustration and disappointment, but we know what we did wrong. They totally outplayed us. We have our backs against the wall, and we know we have to make it right.”

Erasmus added that the defeat will bring the team closer. “Everyone is embarrassed and disappointed, but I believe that will make us tighter as a team. One tends to learn a lot from a defeat, and that’s surely something we’ll carry into this week.”

Moodie echoed his coach’s sentiments, emphasizing the need for a focused effort. “Everyone is extremely disappointed, and we are hurting, but as coach Rassie said, we know what we have to do,” Moodie said. “This week we need to stack the positives and ensure that we stick to our plans on the day. Our defense has to complement our attack, and our kicking game has to be spot on this week, so this is an important week for us.”