Siya Kolisi will captain the Springboks in Saturday's second Rugby Championship Test against New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium, with Rassie Erasmus confirming on Tuesday that the flanker is fully fit after the grade two hamstring injury that kept him out of last weekend's 33-16 defeat at Ellis Park.
The injury was sustained not in open play but at a breakdown during the Argentina match earlier this month, when Kolisi was cleaned out from behind while attempting to steal the ball. "It was not a hamstring where he was running maximum speed," Erasmus explained at a media conference in Johannesburg. "He just overextended. A grade two hamstring takes a little bit longer and that's why we were really cautious."
Kolisi trained fully on both Monday and Tuesday without discomfort, clearing the final hurdle. "Siya is 100%. He'll be starting," Erasmus said.
The return has a direct knock-on effect on the match-day 23: Paul de Villiers drops out entirely, while Pieter-Steph du Toit — who captained the side through the Nations Championship Tests against England, Scotland and Wales and again at Ellis Park — reverts to his playing role. Du Toit will earn his 100th Test cap at Cape Town Stadium. Erasmus was emphatic about the two loose forwards' compatibility: "Siya and Pieter have played a lot together and know how to defend in the gates. They understand each other."
Elsewhere, wing Cheslin Kolbe — provisionally replaced in the squad by Ethan Hooker — is described as "looking very good", though Erasmus did not indicate whether Kolbe would be available for selection on Saturday. Bongi Mbonambi continues his return from knee and lower back injuries but Erasmus was clear he needs game time before forcing his way back into Bok contention.