Springboks Captain Siya Kolisi Praised by Two England Greats for Leadership in Paris Win

Springboks captain Kolisi’s leadership shone off-field as South Africa overcame adversity, impressing England greats Youngs and Cole in Paris.

Springboks Captain Kolisi was lauded for his selfless leadership during South Africa’s thrilling 32-17 victory over France in Paris, with two England greats, Ben Youngs and Dan Cole, speaking about his remarkable behaviour.

The legendary South African was substituted at half-time at the Stade de France after a tactical reshuffle following the red card shown to Lood de Jager for a shoulder-to-head collision with Thomas Ramos.

Referee Angus Gardner reviewed the incident and had no hesitation in issuing a full red card to the South African lock just before the interval, forcing Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus to rethink his strategy.

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What followed was a bold tactical move: Kolisi was replaced by second-row substitute Ruan Nortje, despite the match marking the skipper’s 100th Test milestone.

“You have taken off your iconic captain, two-time World Cup winner, 100th cap, you take him off in a game where it’s hostile. Like the atmosphere was going off, like it was loud, like it was everything you want it to be when you play in France,” Youngs said on the For The Love Of Rugby podcast as first quoted by Planet Rugby.

Tactical Brilliance Shines Through

The plan worked as the Springboks contained France to just three points in the early stages of the second half. With a narrow 13-17 deficit to overcome in the final quarter, the South Africans accelerated and capitalized when French winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey received a yellow card. Two tries followed shortly after, and a third try sealed the comeback, giving South Africa a memorable victory.

Youngs continued, “You are under pressure, everything is against you and you take your biggest leader, iconic sort of talisman, off and yet they still find a way. That shows to me the depth of leadership they have, how much experience they have in that squad and how much trust they have. That stood out for me a lot because the atmosphere is going off, you are up against it, you are away in France, you have so much hype around it, you have got a red card, he [Kolisi] is on his 100th cap, you take him off and they still have the qualities and the nous, ‘this is what needs to be done to win this game’ and they get it done without him even on the field.”

Cole echoed Youngs’ admiration for Kolisi’s attitude. “And also about Kolisi, the fact that he was on the sideline on his feet, screaming, shouting, cheering the team on. You have seen in these situations that the easy thing is to sit on the bench and sulk, but his quality of leadership, and even (Eben) Etzebeth when he comes off the field, all those guys are fully invested in the side. They are screaming the team on and it shows the tightness of that group.”

A Captain Who Leads Beyond the Field

Kolisi’s sideline energy clearly inspired the Springboks, with the team responding to adversity with unwavering focus. Youngs described the scene: “The camera panned to him at one point and he was shouting at Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu) and he was telling him to ‘let’s go’, to keep putting the pressure, whatever he was shouting but you could see he was still leading whilst not being on the pitch, and I am not sure everyone would do that. In fact, I know not everyone would do that.”

Cole added, “That is a tough thing to do as an individual, as you want to be out there helping your teammates, but the fact was he didn’t sit there sulking but was actually cheering the team on, fully invested as all the Springboks are.”

Youngs concluded: “It looked personal. It really looked personal because of ’23 and France saying that they felt it was their World Cup to win and everything like that. It also looked personal because of Siya Kolisi’s 100th cap. There was no way that team was not going to go and win it for him. Remarkable, remarkable win.”

The Springboks’ display in Paris highlighted not only their tactical acumen but also the extraordinary leadership of a captain who inspires both on and off the field.