'He has shifted my mindset': Rassie makes things clear on Bok captaincy

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SPOTLIGHT: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus is backing Siya Kolisi to produce the goods as Bok captain again.

Kolisi has played an influential role in South Africa's success over the years, and it includes two World Cup titles (2019 and 2023).

The captain turns 34 in June and there have been questions about his future, especially with the next World Cup in Australia still two years away.

However, Kolisi has become an 'icon' on and off the field for the country and Erasmus will try and get as much out of his leader as he can over the next few years.

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"Captaincy is a big thing in South Africa," Erasmus told reporters in Cape Town on Wednesday.

"When I started it wasn't a big thing for me because I always thought that we would all take ownership to support the captain.

"The icon and person Siya has become in South Africa has definitely shifted my mindset on that.

"Our feeling is that if a guy is 34, 35 or 36 and he is injury free and the fittest that he can be, then as long as he is No.1 in that position, he will stay captain.

"There are other options. Eben [Etzebeth], Bongi [Mbonambi] and Pieter-Steph [du Toit] have been captains.

"But if Siya is fit, healthy and in the best possible shape, I don't think there will be a change."