Cape Town: South Africa have been boosted by the return of three key players for the Rugby Championship as coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed Siya Kolisi will keep the captaincy.
Kolisi, who became the first black player to skipper the Springboks when he led the side to a 2-1 home series win over England in June, has retained the armband despite the return of former captain Warren Whiteley from injury.
Loose-forward Whiteley led the Lions to the Super Rugby final this season after overcoming a knee injury, and returns to the Bok squad along with powerhouse hooker Malcolm Marx and lock Eben Etzebeth, who has not played any competitive rugby in 2018.
“Eben and Warren have been out of the Bok mix for a while because of injury so it’s very pleasing to have them back in the squad, while Malcolm has regained his good form with the Lions since recovering from his injury,” Erasmus said in a SA Rugby media release on Monday.
Also returning to the squad after missing the England series are veteran loose-forward Francois Louw, scrum-half Ross Cronje, centre Lionel Mapoe and utility back Lwazi Mvovo.
