CAPTAIN KRIEL

THE Springboks have been hit by an injury crisis ahead of their second Test match of the Rugby Championship against Australia innie Kaap.

Bok captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and wings Edwill van der Merwe and Kurt-Lee Arendse have all been cut down by injuries and will not play at Cape Town Stadium, coach Rassie Erasmus revealed.

Erasmus revealed the knee injury that Kolisi suffered will sideline him for four weeks, while two-time World Rugby Player of the Year Du Toit sustained a concussion in Saturday’s 38-22 loss to the Wallabies at Ellis Park.

Arendse also injured his knee while Van der Merwe hurt his ankle and will both be out of action for three weeks.

Of the seriousness of Kolisi’s injury that ruled him out of Saturday’s Test and possibly two All Black clashes in New Zealand, Erasmus said: “The scans revealed now that it is a grade two tear and in some cases guys take four weeks and others six weeks to recover – as we saw with Siya ahead of the 2023 World Cup. But this is not a World Cup year and I not to sound arrogant, it is pointless [to rush him back].

“We know the Eden Park match is going to be big, but Eden Park means nothing if you go and lose at Ellis Park.

“For us to have lost at Ellis Park and then not do well in Cape Town, then we will be chasing pipe dreams at Eden Park, because you can’t even get things right at home.

“Siya is 34 years old and asking him to chase that game and then losing him for the rest of the year is pointless.”

In Kolisi’s absence, Erasmus revealed that Jesse Kriel will take over the captaincy and explained: “He is a guy that studies the opposition a lot and studies rugby a lot. He is in tip-top shape and he backs up his words with his actions on the field.

“He is a guy who felt how it feels to lose against Australia last week, so he will be up for this game.”