South Africa captain Siya Kolisi had no words strong enough to console the three prestigious Springboks who were left out of the list of 33 players announced on Tuesday by coach Jacques Nienaber. Center Lukhanyo Am (knee), fly-half Handre Pollard (calf) and second-row Lood de Jager (illness) are all absent from the South African squad. Their absence is a blow to the world champions, as they played a vital role in winning the trophy in Japan four years ago and remain key players for the Boks.
Am and Pollard have been placed on a reserve list and could be added to the squad if any players are injured in the coming weeks. “It’s very sad, these are players who have done a lot for us and who we need,” Kolisi said. “They have won a lot of games for us and they have experience. I don’t have the words to sum up what they brought to the team. It was difficult to talk to them. With Lukhanyo, we learned (Monday) that he would not be in the game. I spoke to him and he was not very positive, you never know what to say.
“But given their injury schedule, hopefully they will come back to the team if someone gets injured,” he added. Kolisi is in a race against time to get back to his best form. after a lengthy knee injury kept him out of action for the Boks this year, but he was named the team’s captain and could be fielded in the warm-up matches against Wales and New Zealand. “I was scared, but the surgeon and the Springbok medical team assured me that everything would be fine,” he said. It reminds you how quickly everything can be taken away from you.”
