Monday medical will determine Siya’s availability for Lions test

The Springbok coaches will know by Monday night whether skipper Siya Kolisi and star wing Makazole Mapimpi will be available to front the British and Irish Lions in the first test at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

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The squad has been fragmented over the past week, with some of the players who tested positive for Covid in an earlier phase of the training camp being held in preparation for the series being forced to remain in Johannesburg when the rest of the squad travelled to Cape Town last Sunday. Those players who remained in Gauteng were in isolation and could do no more than work out on gym equipment that was supplied to their rooms after an initial period of five to six days where they weren’t permitted to train at all.

It is hardly an ideal way to build up to such an important series, but there has been a lift in the mood at the start of the final preparation week as the Covid issues with individual players have now been consigned to history. According to assistant coach Mzwandile Stick, all the players who remained in Johannesburg, which included the team captain Kolisi and Mapimpi, were en route to Cape Town on Monday.

“A lot of people have been going through challenges during the pandemic so we expect a bit of disruption and it is just what it is, but we are in a good space right now as almost everyone is back with us now and that makes a big difference,” said Stick.

“The remaining guys who stayed on in Johannesburg arrive today and once they are here we will be at 100 percent and then we will be able to go into the test match week at 100 percent according to how we would normally want it in a test week.”

There is a caveat to that though - the players who arrive on Monday will have to undergo medical evaluations and do more tests once they are in Cape Town and Stick said that who plays and who doesn’t will depend on those medicals.

“The guys must still see the specialists when they arrive. Anything can happen and I am not a medical expert, but they will go for their final (return to play) tests today. Some guys have already been cleared to train and we are hoping other guys will be cleared too. But we could have one or two guys who might have to sit out the test.”

One of those players could well be Kolisi, who according to national director Rassie Erasmus’ prognosis last week might only be able to train again on Thursday. Should that be the case, it is unlikely he will be rushed back into the side when he hasn’t trained with his teammates for nearly two weeks and so close to the test match.

Hooker Bongi Mbonambi was another one of the players considered doubtful and given the way the replacement hookers have struggled with their lineout throwing that could have been problematic. However, it is understood Mbonambi, who joined the squad on Sunday, has already participated in training, as has first choice flyhalf Handre Pollard.

Both players can be expected to take their places in the Bok match day squad on Saturday and Stick says that they have pretty much resumed where they have left on in their return to training.

“We ticked a lot of boxes in our training camp in Bloemfontein so I don’t think that someone like Polly (Pollard) would get unfit just because of one week without training,” said the assistant coach.

“A call on the other guys will be made tonight (Monday). We will know tonight who will be fit to play so by the time we announce the team on Wednesday that will be the team that plays, we won’t be waiting on anyone. We know the protocols so we won’t do anything stupid. If Siya doesn’t play, we have guys like Marco van Staden, who was good against the Bulls, and Rynhard Eltstadt who can play in his place.”

Stick seems even less concerned about the Boks being able to find a captaincy replacement for Kolisi than he is about finding a replacement loose-forward.

“We have great leaders in our side so we are not worried at all about the captaincy issue if Siya doesn’t play. Handre is our vice-captain and he has been a good leader in the team for quite a while, we also have Lukhanyo Am, Eben Etzebeth and Steven Kitshoff who have plenty of leadership experience.

“If Siya gets cleared to play he will lead the team in the first test, but if he is not cleared there will be no issue,” he added.

Am led the SA A side to victory in the midweek match against the Lions last Wednesday so it is likely he will lead should Kolisi be absent, though Pollard wasn’t available last week because of Covid and could be another captaincy option.