Springboks captain Siya Kolisi is on the verge of reaching 100 Test caps for his country, but will he achieve that milestone this year?
The 34-year-old flanker has earned 92 caps for his country since making his Springbok debut back in 2013. In 2023, Kolisi became the first South African rugby captain to win back-to-back World Cups following the Boks’ victory over New Zealand in the final.
On Tuesday, Kolisi was not in Rassie Erasmus’ team for the Castle Lager Incoming Tour test against Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Siya Kolisi will not feature for the Springboks this weekend
Last weekend, the Boks’ skipper missed the Barbarian match due to injury. This week, Erasmus explained that Kolisi was cleared; however, the team was taking precautionary measures.
“Yeah, just a bit of a stiff neck,” Erasmus said on why Siya Kolisi missed last weekend’s Springboks match.
“It was nothing serious. That’s all cleared up now. But he has a bit of Achilles, not a strain at all. He’s just really stiff there, so we just want to make sure.
“Overall, most of the players, I don’t think there’s a player that will play more than eight or nine matches for us this year. So, we’d rather make sure that Achilles is 100 per cent ready. But it’s nothing serious. The scans, everything shows that it is clear. We’re just careful with him,” he said as per SuperSport.
How likely is it that Siya Kolisi will earn 100 Springboks caps?
The Sharks’ star needs just eight more caps to become the eighth (likely ninth) Springbok player to reach 100 Test caps. Willie le Roux currently sits on 98 Test caps and will most likely reach a century this month.
Kolisi, on the other hand, needs just eight more caps to reach 100. With the Springboks scheduled to play 13 matches this year, it is more likely that the captain will achieve his 100th Test cap during the team’s 2025 Castle Lager Outgoing Tour.
Although Siya Kolisi won’t feature for the Springboks this weekend, he is expected to lead when the team hosts Italy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 12 July.
Can Kolisi reach 100 caps in 2025?
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