Boks could be without captain Kolisi for first Lions Test

Lukhanyo Am will captain a shadow Springbok side dressed up as SA A against the British and Irish Lions in Cape Town on Wednesday, and the captaincy could also be on loan to him for the first Test on July 24 after director of rugby Rassie Erasmus admitted those players who were Covid-positive and isolating would be in a race against time to make that match.

Regular captain Siya Kolisi is one of the players currently in quarantine.

The numerous Covid infections in the Bok camp led to the second Test against Georgia being cancelled, and Erasmus admitted that had forced them to pick many of the players they had pencilled in for the first Test for Wednesday night’s game.

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“It depends on how the players progress through the return-to-play protocol and some of them will definitely be available from Wednesday and Thursday next week,” Erasmus said on Monday.

“Guys like Frans Steyn and Handre Pollard might make it because they tested positive really early, and some guys can just slot into the team, while others need more time to get their engines running. For them it will be touch and go.

“Losing the second Georgia Test has been massive and it would have been much easier if we had that game and the SA A one. But we have a lot of knowledge about some of the players, we know their class and how they react under pressure.

“So for us, it’s not so much about gelling as about match fitness because it’s a bit of a worry for some guys how long it’s been since they last played.”

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Erasmus was also clearly trying to convince the British and Irish Lions to agree to Saturday’s tour match also being between them and an SA A side, instead of the Stormers. But like an over-enthusiastic puppy getting a paw to the nose, Lions coach Warren Gatland made it clear in his concurrent press conference that he was not in favour of that.

So Erasmus could well be left hoping his team has enough conditioning in the kitty from their three-week camp in Bloemfontein and the single Test against Georgia to match the Lions’ impressive build-up to the Test series.

“We had three weeks of good intensity training in Bloemfontein and the plan then was two Tests against Georgia and the SA A game to be ready, and we could not have asked for more than that,” Erasmus said.

“So now we have lost one week of training and one match, but after seven days in their hotel rooms, the guys shouldn’t totally go to pieces and get out of shape.

“But I’m sure Warren Gatland would like to play against the best possible Springbok team and the safest thing medically would be for SA A to play again against the Lions on Saturday.

“We have been in a totally hard bubble and we are all negative. I’m sure they would not be afraid to play us again and that would be the best preparation for us to provide good competition in the Tests against the Lions.”

With so much uncertainty around at the moment, it is a good thing that Am has temporarily taken over the captaincy because he is a leader who provides a haven of calm.