Durban - The chances of Siya Kolisi leading the Springboks at the World Cup have risen significantly after he underwent surgery on his injured knee on Friday.
A source close to Kolisi confirmed that the operation had been undertaken in Cape Town with a view to ensuring the 31-year-old has the best chance of making it to France in September.
“Siya has been consulting specialists all week and the consensus is that if he has the surgery now he is likely to be available for the World Cup,” the reliable source said.
Kolisi’s wife, Rachel, confirmed in a tweet that her husband had undergone an operation on Friday.
JUST IN: Rachel Kolisi, wife of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, confirms that he wil NOT be receiving his National Order of Ikhamanga in person today. She says he went for surgery on his knee injury today… #SiyaKolisi pic.twitter.com/rXFTDOEhYj
— Percivale Young (@Percyoung) April 28, 2023
She said that Siya could not receive his National Order of Ikhamanga award because “he is in hospital for surgery on his knee.”
The award is a presidential one awarded to South African citizens who have excelled in the fields of arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, or sport.
The news that Kolisi is likely to go to the World Cup is a massive boost to the Springboks' chances of successfully defending the Webb Ellis Cup.
The good form he has been in for the Sharks of late is only a part of it. When it comes to this global icon, the whole is considerably greater than the sum of the parts. The word-wide reaction to his injury, sustained last week in a United Rugby Championship game against Munster, gave an indication of Kolisi’s standing in the game.
Yes, the Boks could easily appoint a successor — the likes of Lukhanyo Am or Duane Vermeulen — but they would be unable to replace the presence he brings to the team.
Kolisi’s autobiography, Rise, is aptly named. His miraculous escalation from poverty to captaining South Africa to World Cup glory is a story that strikes a chord with all South Africans while his philanthropic work through the Kolisi Foundation enriches his legend.
The Springboks' first match at the World Cup is against Scotland on September 10. That gives Kolisi 19 weeks in which to complete his rehab and for him to get fit.
It will be a tight squeeze but his specialists reportedly feel that it can be done. And with the whole of South Africa sending him positive energy, it surely will happen.
IOL Sport