Springboks captain Siya Kolisi insists that he won’t give up his Test place without a fight after setting his sights on the Rugby World Cup in 2027.
The back-rower will be 36 by the time the next global tournament comes along, but the two-time World Cup winner still believes that he can make it.
Kolisi was in sparkling form for South Africa as they won 11 or their 13 matches in 2024 and claimed the Rugby Championship title for the first time in five years.
Springboks looking towards 2027 World Cup
Head coach Rassie Erasmus is already building towards the competition in Australia, however, and there will no doubt be youngsters snapping at his heels.
But the 33-year-old is adamant that he is not done yet and will do his utmost to keep hold of the jersey ahead of the next World Cup.
“When I put on the green-and-gold jersey, I feel like a superhero. I feel like I can do anything and I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to give that up,” Kolisi told the Times.
“The next person that takes it [the jersey] from me, they’re going to have to grab it, because I’m going to fight. And my body feels strong, so I think I can.”
Siya Kolisi and Antoine Dupont the ‘nicest’ captains as top Test referee opens up on dealing with rugby’s biggest stars
Returning to South Africa has been vital for Kolisi to give himself an opportunity to achieve that goal, according to the back-rower.
He joined Racing 92 after the Boks’ 2023 World Cup success but that ill-fated stint lasted just a few months as he returned home at the end of the campaign.
Now back at the Sharks, Kolisi admits that staying in France could have wrecked his international ambitions.
Due to the sheer physical demands placed on his body, the legendary Springboks skipper insisted: “There’s no way I could do both.”
Charity work
Kolisi also believes that returning to South Africa has given him a different perspective on his charity work.
In March 2020, he, alongside his ex-wife Rachel, set up the Kolisi Foundation to help improve people’s lives in the country and the two-time World Cup winner insists that being among those communities allows him to gain a better grasp of the issues.
“The work that we do in the foundation, you know, you’ve got to see what you’re working towards,” he said. “You’ve got to feel it, you’ve got to be aware of what’s happening in the news in South Africa. What are people going through? Where can you help as an individual?
“When you leave South Africa you’re not exposed to that. Everything works there [in Paris]. Electricity is on all the time, there’s water everywhere.
“The public transport is firing, everything is working. You kind of drift away, you kind of forget. And yeah, I love the people of South Africa.”
About The Author
