Springbok captain Siya Kolisi will earn his 100th cap of his career when he leads the team out against France at the Stade de France on Saturday.
This milestone sees the 34-year-old Zwide-born captain become the ninth Springbok centurion and comes 12 years after he made his debut.
Kolisi is part of the squad that was announced by Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, who will also reach a milestone when he guides the team in his 50th Test as head coach.
Both Kolisi and Erasmus have achieved remarkable accolades, after winning back-to-back Rugby World Cups, Castle Lager Rugby Championship titles, as well as the British & Irish Lions Series.
Erasmus, who is weary of the French revenge following their embarrassment in the quarterfinal defeat at the hands of the Springbok in 2023, praised Koli for this achievement and urged the team to be ready for Saturday’s massive showdown.
“This is a huge milestone for Siya, and we are all delighted for him.
He is a level-headed player and although this will be a big occasion for him, and a match that we would like to make special for him, he is fully focused on the task at hand, so he won’t allow that to overshadow what he must do on the field.
This is a huge game, and the entire team knows how determined France will be to make up for the World Cup result, so we’ll celebrate Siya’s achievement after the match.
That said, hopefully we can make it a memorable game for him,” said Erasmus.
Erasmus made six changes to the side that defeated Japan 61-7 at Wembley Stadium last week, and selected Boan Venter to replace the injured Ox Nche, while Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian Willemse all return to the starting lineup.
“We always planned to make a few changes for this match, and we’ll continue to rotate the players throughout the tour, so we can give as many players as possible a chance while at the same time trying to achieve our objectives on the field.
This, however, is the team we feel is best suited to what we expect from France, and the way we would like to play this weekend.
Many of them have also faced France in 2022 and 2023, so they know what to expect from the hosts and have also had a taste of what it is to play in front of their passionate home crowd,” said Erasmus.
The coach said he’s aware that French would be seeking revenge for the 2023 quarterfinal match, which saw the Boks end their campaign in the quarterfinal stage.
“France have a quality team all around, with good forwards and backs, and they are a side that plays for the full 80 minutes.
They will also have a fanatical home crowd behind them, which will inspire them immensely, so we are fully aware of the magnitude of this match, and we know what we have to do on the field.
The key for us is that we have to be accurate in everything we do, make the most of the chances we create, and to keep fighting from the first whistle until the hooter sounds because there is no doubt it’s going to be another epic battle between the teams,” cautioned Erasmus.
