JOHANNESBURG: Siya Kolisi dreams of becoming the first black Springboks skipper to lift the Rugby World Cup trophy, and complete the remarkable transformation of the team from “a dark place to a good space”.
South Africa and defending champions New Zealand, who clash on September 21 in a blockbuster Pool B opener in Japan, look set to reach the quarter-finals at the expense of Italy, Canada and Namibia.
“If we are lucky and avoid injuries, we should go far,” says coach Rassie Erasmus without publicly setting a target for a nation that have been champions twice.
Flanker Kolisi is “excited and nervous” ahead of the World Cup, adding: “I get wonderful support and advice from my team-mates and there is no reason to fear anyone.”
South Africa became a laughing stock of world rugby two years ago after a 57-0 thrashing away to arch-rivals New Zealand, the heaviest loss suffered by the green and gold in their 128-year history.
Officials reacted to the humiliation by firing coach Allister Coetzee early last year and hiring Erasmus, a former Springboks flanker. Among the first decisions Erasmus made was choosing Kolisi, then 26, as the first black Test captain of the Springboks.
It was a huge progressive step in the often tortoise-like advance from an all-white to a racially balanced squad that reflected a population that is 92 percent black.
There are a record 11 black Springboks in the 31-man squad that arrived in Japan.
It is not the 50 percent black representation the government sought, but there is general acceptance that Erasmus has taken racial transformation seriously and up to nine could make the matchday 23.
A meticulous planner, Erasmus has also brought calm to the World Cup buildup where previously there often was chaos, notably in 2003. – AFP
