All eyes on Kolisi as Bok skipper set to debut for Racing this weekend

The World Cup party is over for the Springbok players.

Some of those men who triumphed in France and are based in Europe have already returned to action, but for the Japan-based players and those who ply their trade in South Africa it’s back to the action this weekend, or in the coming weeks.

One player whose return to the game is highly anticipated is that of Boks skipper Siya Kolisi.

The now two-time World Cup-winning captain opted at the beginning of the year to cash in and experience something different by signing for Paris-based Racing 92, his new club, after previously playing all his rugby in South Africa for the Stormers and then the Sharks.

Continue leading Boks

Kolisi’s signing with Racing and his subsequent meeting with the owners and players received plenty of attention on social media after the World Cup and while the player’s influence and impact off the field will continue to be closely watched and reported on in the coming months and years, it is on the field where Kolisi will have to deliver most.

And with Rassie Erasmus returning to coach the Boks, for the time being at least over the next two seasons following Jacques Nienaber’s move to Ireland, and there being talk of the Boks going for a third World Cup title in a row in 2027, there’s inevitably also been plenty of debate about whether Kolisi should stay on as captain.

And it is because of this possibility that his performances for Racing will be closely watched and analysed in the weeks and months ahead.

At 32 there is no doubt Kolisi can continue to lead the Boks in 2024 and beyond, including at the World Cup in 2027. In fact, there is no good reason why Erasmus would change his captain next year or in the next few years should Kolisi stay fit and continue to play the rugby he has delivered in the last number of years.

The main reason why the Boks have been so successful in recent times is that there has been stability — in the captaincy, in the players, in the coaches.

Kolisi might be based in France now, and we eagerly await his first match for his new team this Sunday against La Rochelle, but with regards to the Boks, he’s going nowhere.