‘Is this the end for captain Kolisi?’

by | Jul 22, 2026 | African Golf News

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Former England flyhalf Stuart Barnes says the emergence of Paul de Villiers could end Siya Kolisi’s eight-year stint as Springbok captain.

Kolisi missed the Boks’ July Nations Championship campaign through injury, allowing De Villiers to make the No 6 jersey his own with standout performances in his first three Test appearances, against England, Scotland and Wales.

The 23-year-old was named Man of the Match after the 43-0 drubbing of the Dragons, scoring a try while producing a game-high 18 carries, making 10 tackles and winning two turnovers.

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Speaking on The Ruck podcast, Barnes suggested the Stormers openside flank may also have forced a rethink over the Springbok captaincy.

“Have we seen the end of Siya Kolisi as Springboks captain?” Barnes asked. “A giant of the game, an all-time great, but all good things come to pass.

“Has Rassie Erasmus found the man to take South Africa to the next level in Paul de Villiers? We haven’t seen Kolisi, what we have seen is his replacement, a young man, come on and be as good as Ruben Kruger and Heinrich Brüssow were.

“Obviously, there’ll be this view that you can’t drop Siya Kolisi, but the great coaches, at some stage everybody has to be dropped because you can’t be the best forever.”

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Barnes believes that if anyone can ensure a smooth captaincy transition, it’s the Bok coach.

“It’s fascinating and I wonder, Erasmus is the sort of coach who is so good at just sliding this through to the point we don’t even end up writing a column about they have got a new captain.

“It just happens. One minute he’s there, the next he’s not, and South Africa move seamlessly on towards the third World Cup.”

Photo: Johan Orton/Gallo Images

The post ‘Is this the end for captain Kolisi?’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.