It will be a proud moment for Zwide township and all South African rugby fans when their favourite son, Siya Kolisi, runs out to play a landmark 100th Test for the Springboks against France in Paris on Saturday night.
The Test will mark a remarkable journey from the dusty streets of Zwide in Gqeberha to one of world rugby’s grandest arenas when Kolisi takes to the field at the 80,000 capacity Stade de France (kickoff 10.10pm SA time).
After being brought up in Zwide, Kolisi won a rugby scholarship to Grey High, where he started to blossom as a special player.
He will become only the ninth player in SA rugby history to reach 100 caps, joining an elite group whose names are etched in rugby folklore.
There will also be a milestone for Rassie Erasmus, who will be celebrating his 50th match as head coach.
This momentous feat for Kolisi and Erasmus adds to a string of remarkable achievements, including winning back-to-back Rugby World Cups.
“This is a huge milestone for Siya and we are all delighted for him,” Erasmus said.
“He is a level-headed player and though this will be a big occasion for him, and a match that we would like to make special for him, Siya is fully focused on the task at hand.
“He won’t allow the occasion to overshadow what he must do on the field.
“This is a huge game, and the entire team know how determined France will be to make up for the World Cup result [when they lost to SA].
“So we’ll celebrate Siya’s achievement after the match. That said, hopefully we can make it a memorable game for him.”
Erasmus said they were preparing for the match as they did for every other Test and that they had to be on point on Saturday to get the desired result.
“France have a quality team all round, with good forwards and backs, and they are a side that play for the full 80 minutes,” he said.
“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.
“Our game against Japan certainly helped in getting some of the players back into Test-match mode, and hopefully that will set us in good stead going into this game.
“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.
“There is no doubt it’s going to be another epic battle between the sides,” he said.
The teams are:
SA: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe,13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese,7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Boan Venter. Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Ruan Nortje, 21 Andre Esterhuizen, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok.
France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Gael Fickou (captain), 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Nolann Le Garrec, 8 Mickael Guillard, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Régis Montagne, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Baptiste Erdocio. Replacements: 16 Guillaume Cramont, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Hugo Auradou, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Maxime Lucu, 23 Nicolas Depoortere.
The Herald
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