Rugby-Fit flanker Kolisi to captain Springboks against Ireland

FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Rugby World Cup 2023 - Final - New Zealand v South Africa - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - October 28, 2023 South Africa's Siya Kolisi in action REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

(Reuters) - Siya Kolisi will captain South Africa against Ireland in their two-test series next month, while key backline players Willie le Roux and Cheslin Kolbe will be fit to play, coach Rassie Erasmus said on Wednesday.

Erasmus had been reluctant to name a captain ahead of the series that gets under way on July 6, saying his long-term preference would be for a home-based player to lead the team.

But double World Cup-winning skipper Kolisi, who plays for Racing 92 in France, will continue in the role for this series at least.

"Siya is fit and will be captain," Erasmus confirmed, before running through the Springboks’ injury concerns.

"Willie and Cheslin are clear to play, but we'll have to manage (wings) Edwill van der Merwe and Makazole Mapimpi. Both of them stand a chance of being available for Ireland.

"We also have to manage (scrumhalf) Faf de Klerk, but (utility back) Canan Moodie will only be available for the second Test."

Erasmus has said before he will be embarking on a rebuild of the Springbok squad ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, where they will go for an unprecedented third trophy win in a row.

But that may be postponed until after the Ireland series against the number two team in the world, and given he will have more time to do it in this cycle, having lost the entire 2020 season to the COVID-19 pandemic between the last two World Cups, he is happy to take it slow.

"It's easier now compared to after 2019 and I've said this a few times, we now have 13 Tests which we didn't have (in the last cycle)," Erasmus said.

"We can filter players slowly into the Test match oven and see if they can come out right on the other side.

"We lost 2020 and we couldn't build a lot, but in 2024, we have games like Wales where we can try new players, with a few more being tried against Ireland and Portugal.

"We know the Ireland series is our biggest clash this year. In the Rugby Championship, the new players who excelled in this period will push through."

South Africa started their season with a 41-13 victory over Wales in London on Saturday where both teams fielded weakened sides as the fixture fell outside of the international window.

(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Toby Chopra)