The Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber seemingly has options to pick and choose when it comes to players who can take over the reins as captain from the injured Siya Kolisi at the Rugby World Cup.
The centers Lukhanyo Am and Damian de Allende, prop Steven Kitshoff, lock Eben Etzebeth and loose forwards Pieter-Steph du Toit and Duane Vermeulen are apparently all being considered as possible stand-in captains.
Kolisi is currently recovering from a serious knee injury, which required surgery, and will only be back on his feet properly in August, when the Springboks play three World Cup warm-up matches.
The Springboks will begin defending their World Cup title against Scotland in Marseille on 10 September. However, the Springbok camp is confident that Kolisi will be ready to run again by then.
Before then, however, Nienaber may need two interim captains for the single-round Rugby Championship. That’s because he plans to split the team for matches against Australia and New Zealand to combat flight sickness.
New Zealand is about ten hours ahead of South Africa in terms of time and the Springboks intend to send a group of 15 players ahead of time to Auckland.
The division of the team worked well for the Springboks ahead of the 2019 World Cup in Japan, with a win over the Wallabies and a draw against the All Blacks leading to the overall victory.
Should Nienaber send only his first picks to Auckland, Am, De Allende, Etzebeth and Du Toit are likely to be included.
Am and Du Toit may be held back from taking on Australia at Loftus Versfeld in what Rassie Erasmus, director of rugby, regards as a crucial game.
“I understand that people and the media are focusing on the game against our big rivals the All Blacks, but we dare not lose our opening Rugby Championship game,” he says.
“The Wallabies come here with a new coach, Eddie Jones, and our rivalry with him spans many years.”
Jones coached the England team that beat the Springboks in the last World Cup final. According to Erasmus, this gives him “more than enough reason to listen to us”.
Options galore
Vermeulen, who turns 37 next month, would be a popular choice, but Erasmus hinted at a new role for the former Ulster forward.
“Duane can perhaps fulfill a role similar to that of Francois Louw in the last World Cup tournament – to come off the bench 12 minutes before the final whistle and have a big effect.”
The first choice at number eight, Jasper Wiese, is likely to be among the early arrivals in Auckland which means Vermeulen can start in Pretoria.
Those with insider knowledge of the Springbok camp say Am imposes the same quiet authority as Kolisi, who is one of the most successful South African captains alongside John Smit and stands at a winning rate of 64%.
Du Toit, Rugby Player of the Year in 2019, is an outstanding flank and can switch to lock, but is prone to injuries, one of which almost led to an amputation.
Loose prop Kitshoff led the Stormers to the final of the United Rugby Championship in 2023. However, he is often used from the bench with Ox Nche running up at the start of a game.
Etzebeth has led the Goats in the past and his experience naturally makes him a candidate.
De Allende is labeled as the outside horse in the battle for the captaincy.
Three Rugby Championship matches and three warm-up matches will prepare South Africa for the World Cup title defence.
After Scotland, the Springboks face Romania, Ireland (currently number one in the world) and Tonga in group B and the winners and runners-up advance to the quarter-finals.
The host country France, as well as Ireland, and South Africa and New Zealand, both three-time World Cup champions, are the favorites to win the quadrennial tournament.
