Superbok: Siya Kolisi

There are still, amazingly, people who consider Siya Kolisi’s quiet demeanour to be something of a disadvantage as captain.

But so often, as in Marseilles on Saturday, the Springbok captain blows those perceptions out of the water with a dominant performance that is worthy of his stature not only among his peers, but in the global game.

Kolisi is already a world icon in rugby, but his performance in Marseilles reminded us that he is a dominant player too.

Amid the calamity of conceding a red card early in the game, losing one of the key forwards and facing what looked to be a long night and a big loss, Kolisi huddled his side together.

Only the players will know what was said, but it was clear that the captain, along with the senior players in the huddle, had the attention of those around them.

Kolisi has never been an in-your-face captain, but he has used soft power to show his leadership skills.

And on Saturday night he not only stepped up as leader, he stepped up as a player, playing his heart out to fill the void of losing Pieter-Steph du Toit so early in the game. When coach Jacques Nienaber said afterwards every player had put in 10 per cent extra, it was clear his captain had done a lot more.

His sleight of hand move to score off the back of the maul that fooled the entire French backline was just the cherry on top. But his play in hitting rucks, tackling opposition players and generally lifting his side deserved more than praise. It deserved a victory.

That the Boks didn’t get there in the end will haunt a man who lives and dies by the Springbok emblem. And he explained how he kept players calm in a moment that would have made many teams fall apart.

“We have obviously planned for scenarios like this in a game. So we didn’t freak out and all we said was that we are going to have to work a little bit harder and make sure that around the field we keep working for one another,” explained Kolisi.

“We said we must not stop playing and I felt that we played a little bit more today, which was the plan from the start. We didn’t waiver away from the plan and I thought the guys showed great fight.

“It’s horrible to lose, especially like that, but I am proud of them and we are going to keep on fighting. We learn as we go, and I thought France was just a little bit better than us today.”

South Africa could be proud of the fightback, and while the disappointment of losing the test match hurts, Kolisi stood tall as captain and player, and led his side with grace and passion, and played an incredible test.

And that’s why he’s our stand-out Springbok for the week.