Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has vowed not to give up his number six Green and Gold jersey without a fight.
While Kolisi is currently nursing an ankle injury and hasn’t been able to play for his French club Racing 92, he has been back in South Africa to attend the honorary doctorate bestowed on Bok coach Rassie Erasmus and accept the SA Sports Star of the year award.
But in an exclusive interview with supersport.com, Kolisi admitted he knew his jersey was under threat and that with the start of a new World Cup cycle he may have a lot more challengers for a place in the Bok squad.
Alongside the likes of Eben Etzebeth and Bongi Mbonambi, Kolisi still believes there is enough left in the majority of the double World Cup winning squad to make it a three-peat in Australia in 2027 and underlined again that his hunger to play for the Boks is as great as ever.
“Right now, the focus is on making that group and making sure we do well in the tests we play and it's always the ultimate dream, to play in another World Cup and win another World Cup for the country. But ultimately it will show how the body feels and how the mind is when we get there,” Kolisi told supersport.com
“That is what we want, that is our dream. But as you said the guys playing in South Africa are playing very well now, and it will be a challenge. If we don’t play better than them, then we will have to think about passing on the jersey.
“But saying that we are definitely not going to give it up, we won’t give up the jersey easy, they will have to take it.”
Up for the fight and with the media in recent times filled with speculation about his future as Bok captain, as well as comments by Erasmus that he would prefer his captain to be based in South Africa, Kolisi shrugs this off as well.
As he says, the most important thing is to play for the Boks.
Captaincy is a bonus, but right now, all he wants to do is still be part of the side.
“As long as I still have the opportunity to put on that green and gold jersey, that is all that matters. There are few people who dream and say they want to be Springbok captain. It has been an honour, as tough as it was, to be captain and all I want to do is to wear the jersey, no matter if I am captain or not.
“There are amazing leaders in our group. So if I’m captain great and if I’m playing its even more great. I just want to be part of the group and that is all that matters to me.”