Siya Kolisi and Kurt-Lee Arendse are set to miss the Springboks’ rematch with the All Blacks in Cape Town after suffering heavy collisions in the victory at Ellis Park.
The Springboks lost captain Kolisi and winger Arendse after both players suffered concussions in the space of a couple of minutes during Saturday’s win over the All Blacks.
Arendse was knocked out while trying to tackle All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane after a kick-off and was immediately removed from the field in the 48th minute to undergo a Head-Impact Assessment (HIA).
Shortly afterwards, Kolisi suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone after being tackled by All Blacks flank Sam Cane. Referee Andrew Brace told Kolisi that the tackle was checked by the TMO and ruled as only warranting a penalty.
While Kolisi tried to battle on, he was substituted in the 61st minute to under an HIA and stayed off for the rest of the match.
Sporting a swollen face, Kolisi was present at the post-match press conference, during which Rassie Erasmus confirmed that he would be checked for a possible fractured cheekbone.
“The doc will definitely have to look at him, he doesn’t normally look like this,” Eramus joked. “He looks a bit better.”
Erasmus also confirmed that Arendse suffered a concussion and is also set to miss next Saturday’s second Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
With Kolisi out, the Boks could look to Bongi Mbonambi, Eben Etzebeth or Pieter-Steph du Toit to take over the captaincy.
Meanwhile, Makazole Mapimpi and Canan Moodie are both set to return to the Springbok squad after bagging tries in the Currie Cup over the weekend, providing additional depth at wing.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
