Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Springbok captaincy question leaves Robbie Fleck flummoxed

Eben Etzebeth trains with Siya Kolisi ahead of last October's Rugby World Cup final in France (Photo by Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images)

As a 31-cap Springbok centre, Robbie Fleck could sidestep the best of them.

ADVERTISEMENT

But there is no getting around the vexed issue of who is the best person to replace Siya Kolisi as Springbok captain.

Kolisi might have bought himself more time as Springbok leader now that he has decided to cut short his stay in Paris with Racing 92 and return home.

Video Spacer

Revealed – The decisive factor in the decision to name Siya Kolisi captain | RPTV

Former Stormers coach Robbie Fleck talks about the moment he realised Siya Kolisi should be Stormers captain. Watch the full episode on RugbyPass TV

Watch now

Video Spacer

Revealed – The decisive factor in the decision to name Siya Kolisi captain | RPTV

Former Stormers coach Robbie Fleck talks about the moment he realised Siya Kolisi should be Stormers captain. Watch the full episode on RugbyPass TV

Watch now

But uncertainty remains over when head coach Rassie Erasmus will call time on his glorious reign and bring in a new man to lead them forward to the next Rugby World Cup.

Double Rugby World Cup-winning captain Kolisi will be 36 by the time Australia 2027 comes around, and while Fleck believes the flanker can still be in the squad, he is at a loss to explain who will be wearing the armband instead of him.

Never one to be short of words or an opinion, Fleck took an age to answer Boks Office’s stand-in presenter Jean de Villiers’ question over who that man might be,

“I don’t know, I genuinely don’t know who the standout individual in that group is,” he said after a period of deliberation.

ADVERTISEMENT

“It’s so well led by him and the senior group; I don’t think there is a standout individual for me at the moment that can take over.

“There is no point in having another senior guy take over if Siya is there, surely you should start earmarking a young talented guy.

“Salmaan Moerat is a guy they are thinking of as a future potential captain but it is too early for me that he takes over the captaincy, you’ve got to be guaranteed a starting spot and in three years’ time is he going to be ready to captain the Springboks? That is the debate.

“But who is that guy that takes over. If it is another senior guy like an Eben (Etzebeth) then you might as well keep Siya as the captain.”

As RugbyPass exclusively revealed over the weekend, Kolisi is all set to return to the Sharks after an unhappy spell in France’s Top 14.

And Fleck, who made a young Kolisi captain of the Stormers when he coached the Durban-based team, believes the rumoured 18million rand it will take to make the deal happen is a price worth paying.

“I think bringing him back to South Africa is the right call, he’s a leader of our team and of the people,” he said.

“You could see in the beginning when he went to Paris he was engaging with the fans and he did a very good job, and there was something different that he was trying to create there.

“I would have thought he would have seen out another year, but after a year he is coming back and I think it is the right thing for South African rugby and for Siya.

“These are his people, he is a family man, he is comfortable here, and I am sure his family are keen to get back here as well.”

Robbie Fleck, Rassie Erasmus
South African national rugby player Rassie Erasmus (2nd L) speaks with teammate Robbie Fleck as they, and Werner Swanepoel (2nd R) and Bob Skinstad, get ready for a training session at the Bank of England rugby stadium in southwest London, 26 October 1999. The Springboks will meet Australia in a Rugby World Cup semi-final match 30 October at Twickenham stadium in London. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Fleck added: “I am surprised, though, that he is going back to the Sharks. I understand there may be some business connections or whatever the case may be, to go to the Sharks, why he originally went there. But I would have thought that his comfort and his home is Cape Town, that’s where he started his career (at The Stormers) and that is where his family is from.”

When asked about his chances of maintaining his form and fitness long enough to feature at the next Rugby World Cup, Fleck was unequivocable in his response, believing Kolisi’s experience will be invaluable moving forward as South Africa not only chase an unprecedented hat-trick of titles but also the Test record for most consecutive wins by a leading nation.

“I definitely do (think he’ll make it), Rassie has hinted about the captaincy and everything, but Siya has still got a crucial role, and not just from a performance point of view between the four white lines, it’s outside, it’s in the changing room that counts, and that’s where I feel Siya still adds so much value.

“He had an unbelievable series against Ireland, so he is still performing, that’s not an issue. If he can back from an injury like he did so quickly then his body is still primed and ready play at a  high level.

“You need an experienced campaigner and a leader like that in our group to go for that third World Cup.”

The record for the most consecutive wins by a leading nation is 18, shared by New Zealand (2015-16) and England (2015-17).

South Africa head into the latest edition of The Rugby Championship with a winning streak of just one, having beaten Portugal 64-21 in their last outing.

“I was actually thinking about what is Rassie’s next challenge, and this group’s next challenge,” said Fleck.

“Obviously, they want to win three World Cups in a row but also that unbeaten Test (record), and that is something this group is certainly capable of doing with the experience they have got and the youngsters they have got coming through. That may be something that they are also talking about on the sidelines.

“They have won against the British and Irish Lions, they have won two World Cups, they’ve done well against the so-called number one side in the world (Ireland), so what’s their next challenge?

“I would definitely be having those conversations with the players because there is a legacy that has been created for this group.”

Related

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

2 Comments
Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

F
FF 1 hour ago
The story of Romania's Mariana Lucescu: The Stejarii ‘Madame Rugby’

You’re welcome and sorry for the late reply.

could targeted investment by IRB/World Rugby and other have helped over the decades?

I think so. More money is always good and compared to other T2 Federations, although things aren’t perfect, the Romanian Rugby Federation did a good job managing it’s budget.

I think I saw T2Rugby tweeting that out of T2 nations funding around half goes to the 3 Pacific Islands which might be a bit of a waste considering how much coruption there is inside those Federations.


I had read there was a big exodus to France after professionalism which was a major blow, could investment at this critical juncture have kept more of those players, coaches, officials in place and reduced the damage?

It was a major blow for the local championship and the level of the local competition.

This was fixed in 2011 when the Superliga was created - a professional league with 8 teams. I think it had 10 in it’s peak. Having a pro league for a T2 nation is really good but now the issue is there are only 6 teams which means you don’t have a lot of matches during a season. It would’ve been great if there would be again 8 or 10 teams but I don’t see that happening any time soon.


However, for the national side, this exodus was really good. Even now we get benefits from it, although we don’t have as many players abroad, because kids of those players are playing at a higher intensity level in France - ex. Gontineac, Mitu.

8 Go to comments
S
Stalle li 4 hours ago
Debutant’s powerful start as Australia’s ‘youngins’ usher in new dawn

My partner and I had always been cautious investors, but like many others, we fell victim to an investment scheme that promised high returns in the cryptocurrency space. The company had a sleek website, a compelling pitch, and even endorsements from supposed financial experts. It all looked legitimate—until it wasn’t. One morning, as I checked our crypto wallet, my stomach dropped. The 350 ETH we had transferred was gone. The platform was suddenly inaccessible, support emails bounced back, and the so-called “investment managers” had disappeared. Panic set in. My partner, Lisa, tried to remain calm, but I could see the worry in her eyes. This was our hard-earned savings, and we had been scammed. Determined not to give up, we scoured the internet for help. That’s when we came across Galaxy Ethical Tech—a company specializing in ethical blockchain investigations and asset recovery. Their reputation was impeccable, and they had successfully helped many people retrieve lost funds from fraudulent crypto schemes. With nothing to lose, we reached out. Galaxy Ethical Tech assigned us a dedicated blockchain forensics expert, Daniel, who listened patiently to our story. He assured us that their technology could trace our stolen Ethereum across multiple wallets, even if the scammers had tried to obscure the transactions. Using advanced blockchain analytics and AI-driven tracing, Daniel and his team mapped out the movement of our ETH. The scammers had funneled the funds through multiple wallets and mixing services, but Galaxy Ethical Tech’s algorithms identified patterns in the transactions. Within 72 hours, they pinpointed where the stolen Ethereum had been consolidated. The next step was enforcement. Galaxy Ethical Tech collaborated with cybercrime authorities and blockchain security networks to freeze the identified wallets. They also leveraged their ethical hacking team to monitor real-time movements and prevent further laundering of the funds.Within two weeks, we received an email that made our hearts race. A significant portion of our 350 ETH had been recovered! Galaxy Ethical Tech coordinated with an exchange compliance team to ensure the funds were returned to our wallet. The relief was overwhelming. We had gone from despair to gratitude, all thanks to the ethical, transparent, and highly skilled approach of Galaxy Ethical Tech. Their AI-powered forensics, legal partnerships, and ethical hacking had saved us from a devastating loss.Today, Lisa and I are more cautious than ever in the crypto space, and we actively educate others on avoiding scams. But if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s this: when technology is used ethically, it can do wonders—even reclaim what was thought to be lost forever.Galaxy Ethical Tech didn’t just recover our Ethereum. They restored our faith in the power of ethical innovation.contact them via Email: galaxyethicaltech@mail.comWhatsapp: +15072712442Telegram: Galaxy_ethical_tech

0 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Andy Farrell drafts 75-man Lions squad with blunt message to players Andy Farrell drafts 75-man Lions squad with blunt message to players
Search