South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has hailed Siya Kolisi as the greatest leader in the history of rugby.
The Minister posted a video on X, formerly, Twitter of a tak he gave to the Springboks after beating the All Blacks earlier in the year at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
It was a gruelling Test where Scott Robertson’s All Blacks had themselves in a commanding position heading into the last quarter of the game only for the electric Grant Williams to spoil the party with one of his trademark snipes to score and steal the result.
Special praise
This all led to a boisterous change room where McKenzie and several other big names in South Africa joined the team to share some words with the players. The Minister did not mince his words when praising his captain.
“Let me tell you something, and this comes from the bottom of my heart. You (Kolisi) are not only a good captain, you are the best captain that the game of rugby has ever produced. Take that for yourself.”
The best sporting moment since becoming Minister was addressing the @Springboks after the win against the All Blacks. @RassieRugby & his Boys did so much for social cohesion and national pride for SA. We owe them an incredible debt of gratitude. The greatest rugby team ever. pic.twitter.com/yZEupMbw59
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) December 27, 2024
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Kolisi’s influence written in history
Kolisi’s influence in South Africa is massive with his stature in the game and in the country sky-rocketing since he was named as South Africa’s first black captain in 2018 and he has not looked back.
18 months after being given the captain’s armband Kolisi was lifting the William Webb Ellis trophy as the Springboks shocked the world at the global showpiece in Japan.
Fast track through the difficult years of covid-19 Kolisi’s Boks won the British & Irish Lions series in 2021 and pushed through as favourites to the 2023 World Cup in France. The South Africans would go on to win the title with Kolisi becoming just the second captain to win back-to-back World Cups alongside the great Richie McCaw.
Whether or not Kolisi is the greatest captain the game has seen will always be debated but there is no doubt that the flanker will always be hailed as one of rugby’s most influential superstars.
READ MORE: The biggest winners and losers from 2024 including the Springboks, Toulouse, England
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2024-12-27 08:27:27
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