Rassie offers promising injury update and explains delaying Boks team announcement
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has provided a positive injury update on captain Siya Kolisi and Ox Nche ahead of their upcoming series against New Zealand. Erasmus also explained his decision to delay the team announcement until Thursday as a sign of respect for the All Blacks.
Why it matters
The Springboks-All Blacks rivalry is one of the most significant in international rugby, and strategic team management often influences the outcome of these high-stakes matches.
The Springboks are close to confirming the availability of inspirational captain Siya Kolisi and 2025 World Rugby Player of the Year nominee Ox Nche, with their status tentatively upgraded from injured to “niggles” by head coach Rassie Erasmus.
The coach shared the promising update at a Monday afternoon press conference in Johannesburg, where he was also asked about moving his team-naming announcement from his usual Monday slot to Thursday, and about the growing noise over the contrasting speeds of game that South Africa and New Zealand are expected to pursue during the series.
Erasmus’ ploy of naming his teams early in the week has often been cited as ‘mind games’ as it casually surrenders any competitive advantage that may come from unexpected selections, and the coach acknowledged this week that changing the announcement time was an effort to level that playing field.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in