Kolisi moves to coaches’ box as Moerat leads Boks against Pumas

Lukhanyo Am will start at inside centre against Argentina in Santiago. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

By Craig Ray

17 Sep 2024

Lock Salmaan Moerat will lead the Springboks against Argentina in the Rugby Championship clash in Santiago on Saturday.

In another display of the microscopic detail the Springboks go to, to gain an edge, captain Siya Kolisi will make his Test debut in the coaches’ box against Argentina in Santiago.

Kolisi will not feature on the field against the Pumas in a likely Rugby Championship decider despite being on tour with the team.

kolisi boks moerat pumas Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says Siya Kolisi’s stint in the coaches' box in Argentina will give him an understanding of the entire process during a match. (Photo: Grant Pitcher / Gallo Images)

Kolisi suffered a broken nose in the 31-27 victory against the All Blacks at Ellis Park on 31 August. Instead of undergoing surgery, he played through the pain a week later in Cape Town.

At that stage it was expected he would undergo surgery to set the bone instead of touring Argentina for the one-off match. It was a surprise when he was named in the touring party, but it was a very clear plan by the Bok management.

From the outside, it appears strange that Kolisi was taken all the way to Argentina only to miss out on playing altogether, but as ever with coach Rassie Erasmus, nothing was done on a whim.

“Siya was brought here as cover if someone was injured, he was not scheduled to play,” Erasmus confirmed.

“Naturally he will help lead the team off the field. But there is another plan as well.

“He will be in the coaches’ box on Saturday. This season we have had Duane (Vermeulen) pitch-side, relaying messages to Siya and the other decision-makers on the field.

“But Siya doesn’t know what’s actually going on in the coaches’ box during the game. We want to give him a feel for it this weekend, so he can understand how we get to a decision and how we send messages down to the field. It will give him an understanding of the entire process during a match.

“I recall that when Duane sat with us in the box about two years ago, he had a new appreciation of what happens there. He gained a new understanding of how we interpret information and make decisions. We hope that Siya will benefit from that experience this weekend.”

It might seem a small detail, but like the best chief executives in business, most have worked through every department of the organisation. Kolisi is adding an even wider understanding of the team dynamics on this sojourn to Argentina.

Kolisi might also add valuable insight to the coaches from a players’ perspective during the heat of the battle. Either way, it can only be beneficial for both the squad captain and the coaching staff in the long run.

Moerat leads

boks moerat pumas Lock Salmaan Moerat will lead the Springboks in the vital Rugby Championship clash against Argentina in Santiago. (Photo: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)

As for matters on the field against the Pumas on Saturday with the destination of the 2024 Rugby Championship title still undecided, Moerat will take charge for the third time.

The Stormers lock is one of 10 changes to the team that beat the All Blacks 18-12 in Cape Town 10 days ago. That victory moved the Boks to 18 points on the standings after four wins in four matches.

The Pumas have 10 points after four rounds and are the only side that can mathematically beat the Boks with two rounds remaining. The sides will clash in Mbombela on 28 September.

Erasmus and the team, though, want to ensure that the final match of the tournament is a coronation and not a battle for the title. A win in Santiago is therefore non-negotiable.

boks lukhanyo am pumas Lukhanyo Am will start at inside centre against Argentina in Santiago. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

In that sense, this will be a big test of Moerat’s leadership. But it won’t be a one-man job either. The team is stacked with members of the Bok leadership group such as flyhalf Handre Pollard, hooker Malcolm Marx, centres Lukhanyo Am and Jesse Kriel and lock Eben Etzebeth.

“Salmaan is very special. He brings a real calmness to the team,” Erasmus said. “He doesn’t get over-excited, but he stays physical and does all his basics – tackling, scrumming, mauling and defending mauls well.

“He’s not that dynamic in his carries yet, but he is really working at that aspect of his game. He brings massive aggression that you need with a front lock, but he brings it in a controlled and calm way.

“He communicates well with referees and the way he manages the team with Polly (Handré Pollard) leading the backs, is very mature.”

The five players retaining their starting places from the team that defeated the All Blacks in Cape Town are Ox Nché (prop), Ruan Nortjé (lock), Jasper Wiese (No 8), Pollard (flyhalf) and Jesse Kriel (centre).

Am (centre) and Marx (hooker) are moved from the bench to a starting position from that match-23, while Etzebeth (lock) goes the other way to join the retained Bomb Squad of Vincent Koch, Gerhard Steenekamp (both props), Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith (both loose forwards) and Jaden Hendrikse (scrumhalf).

Jan-Hendrik Wessels (hooker) and Manie Libbok (utility back) come in to complete a bench once again consisting of six forwards and two backs.

Etzebeth will equal Victor Matfield’s Springbok record of 127 Test appearances if he takes the field.

Returning to the starting line-up after previously appearing in the competition are: Aphelele Fassi (fullback), Kurt-Lee Arendse and Makazole Mapimpi (wings), Cobus Reinach (scrumhalf), Ben-Jason Dixon and Marco van Staden (flanks) and Thomas du Toit (prop), along with Moerat.

“It would be amazing to wrap up the Rugby Championship title this weekend, but it won’t be easy, and we have a bigger picture in mind as well, which is to build squad depth with an eye on the 2027 World Cup,” said Erasmus.

“The only way we can do that is to expose the younger players to tough opposition under difficult circumstances, and so far, all of them have risen to that challenge.

“The fact that Los Pumas are still in the running for the title for the first time ever will drive their team and supporters even more. We have no doubt we will be tested to the limit both as a team and the players as individuals, and we are excited to see how they deal with the pressures that come with playing here.” DM

Springboks

15 Aphelele Fassie, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Lukhanyo Am, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Salmaan Moerat (capt), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.

Reserves: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Jaden Hendrikse, 23 Manie Libbok.

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