South Africa rugby captain Siya Kolisi will miss Saturday's Qatar Airways Cup game against the Barbarians at DHL Stadium in Cape Town. Coach Rassie Erasmus made the late team change on Friday after Kolisi pulled out due to a minor injury problem. The Springboks announced the captain's absence through their official social media account. Jesse Kriel will step up to lead the team for the first time in his international career. The experienced center has played 79 matches for South Africa since making his debut in 2015.
Kriel expressed his excitement about captaining the national team for the first time. He will wear the armband when the Springboks take the field against the invitational side. Marco van Staden joins the starting lineup to replace Kolisi in the loose forward position. Van Staden will pack down with Vincent Tshituka and Jean-Luc du Preez in the back row. The coaching staff kept all other players from the original team selection announced earlier this week.
The Springboks will field a strong side featuring several experienced internationals. Aphelele Fassi starts at fullback with Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wings. Damian de Allende partners with captain Kriel in the midfield positions. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu controls the game from flyhalf with Morne van den Berg at scrumhalf.
Kriel expressed his excitement about captaining the national team for the first time. He will wear the armband when the Springboks take the field against the invitational side. Marco van Staden joins the starting lineup to replace Kolisi in the loose forward position. Van Staden will pack down with Vincent Tshituka and Jean-Luc du Preez in the back row. The coaching staff kept all other players from the original team selection announced earlier this week.
The Springboks will field a strong side featuring several experienced internationals. Aphelele Fassi starts at fullback with Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wings. Damian de Allende partners with captain Kriel in the midfield positions. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu controls the game from flyhalf with Morne van den Berg at scrumhalf.
