Pieter-Steph du Toit will earn his 100th Test cap when the Springboks host New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, stepping aside from the captaincy as Siya Kolisi returns to the starting line-up.
Kolisi missed the series opener at Ellis Park, which the All Blacks won 33-16, after sustaining a grade two hamstring injury against Argentina. The skipper overextended at a breakdown whilst attempting a turnover and was cleaned out from behind, an incident that ruled him out of the opening fixture in the four-match contest.
"Siya is 100%. He'll be starting," Erasmus told a media conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday. "Those 25 minutes he played against Argentina, he played really really well. And obviously it's not just his game — he's also a very inspirational person and a guy that means a lot for us on and off the field, in tough and in good times."
The coach explained that Kolisi's availability remained uncertain until this week. "Then Sunday when he did some rehab, he said now when he gets off the ground he still feels it a little bit. So we said, well, OK, he'll have to run full-out [on] Monday. And he did [run] full-out [on] Monday and full-out [on] Tuesday without any discomfort, so he's good to go."
Du Toit captained the side through the Nations Championship fixtures against England, Scotland and Wales before leading the team again at Ellis Park. His return to the ranks allows him to focus on his own milestone, though Erasmus was keen to emphasise the understanding between the two loose forwards. "Siya and Pieter have played a lot together and know how to defend in the gates. They understand each other and know how to run in the gates," the coach said.
Kolisi's reinstatement means Paul de Villiers drops out of the match-day 23 entirely. The selection underlines the value Erasmus places on the captain's presence, particularly after a heavy defeat that has left the Springboks chasing the series. Du Toit's century will be marked in circumstances rather different from Damian de Allende's recent milestone, which ended in a loss to Argentina. Erasmus has indicated the squad will aim to deliver a more fitting result for the flanker's landmark appearance, with the series and home pride both on the line in the Mother City.