Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is in line to become only the ninth South African Test centurion on the end-of-year tour after racking up his 98th Test cap in the team’s 29-27 victory against Argentina in their final Rugby Championship match at Twickenham earlier this month.
Rassie Erasmus has already made it clear that they cannot be overly influenced with their selections as normally the Springbok coaches would have tried to ensure such a milestone could be celebrated in front of home fans in South Africa.
Instead it seems likely that Kolisi will earn his 99th cap against Japan in London on 1 November, before making his historic 100th Test appearance in the blockbuster fixture against France at Stade de France in Paris (8 November). This game will be a repeat of the epic 2023 World Cup quarter-final, and should provide a fitting occasion for the milestone.
Alternatively, the Springbok coaches could consider letting Kolisi miss the Japan game, earn his 99th cap against France, and then wait to pay his 100th Test against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (22 November).
Special moment for Siya Kolisi
Recently, Erasmus said it would undoubtedly be an emotional occasion as Kolisi heads ever closer to becoming the ninth Springbok centurion.
“There are so many emotional decisions one has to make,” Erasmus said. “We are tight and very good friends, and there’s a mutual belief in each other.
“We have (Makazole) Mapimpi, who is on 47 (caps), and we want to get him to 50 Tests, and Siya has 97 caps. You can’t always plan where players will earn their 100th Test cap.
“If you start thinking too much about it, that’s when you start risking losing Tests sometimes. Whether he does it against France or wherever it may be, we will celebrate it there when it happens.”
REMAINING FIXTURES THIS YEAR
- 1 November: vs Japan, Wembley. Kick off: TBD.
- 8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: 22:10.
- 15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: 14:40
- 22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40.
- 29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10.
