Siya Kolisi

Siya Kolisi on the charge. Photo: Aled Llywelyn/Huw Evans/Shutterstock/BackpagePix

OPINION: Why Kolisi should edge Etzebeth for SA Player of the Year!

Siya Kolisi deserves to be named the SA Rugby Player of the Year after leading the Boks through a season of extraordinary challenges.

Siya Kolisi

Siya Kolisi on the charge. Photo: Aled Llywelyn/Huw Evans/Shutterstock/BackpagePix

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Prior to the Springboks’ pre-season camp ahead of the British & Irish Lions tour, some criticism and widespread question marks hovered over Kolisi.

After a stop-start period in his career due to injuries and Covid-19 disruptions, the Bok flank found himself in a race against time to rediscover his fitness and form.

Speaking before the SA Rainbow Cup match against the Lions in May, he was even scathingly candid in his self-appraisal.

“Every game I play now counts. If I’m honest, I’m not yet where I need to be. If my performances aren’t good enough, I know for a fact I won’t be chosen for the Springboks … Before the most recent two games I’ve played for the Sharks, the last genuinely good game I played was the World Cup final. Since then I haven’t really performed as well as I could have.

Yet Kolisi also knew exactly what he needed to do. Firstly, a career-defining move from the Stormers to the Sharks was designed to take him out of his comfort zone.

“I just knew that for my career, and both physically and mentally, I needed a new challenge,” he explained recently.

Upon arriving in Durban, Kolisi then threw himself into an intensive conditioning programme, determined to ensure he would be selected on merit rather than reputation.

“It (the Sharks move) got me to focus again, and I worked really hard at my fitness,” he commented. “I never doubted myself because I know my body and that I would be fine once I got back to a certain level of fitness, so I wasn’t stressed.”

Since then, Kolisi has simply gone from strength to strength. Throughout this season, his work rate and physicality has been off the charts.

The Bok captain was sensational in the two victorious Tests against the British & Irish Lions, while he was one of the standout players in the memorable back-to-back matches against the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship. For the biggest battles of the year, he emphatically rose to the occasion.

Kolisi’s leadership, injury recovery must be a defining factor

After the officiating controversies in the first Test against the Lions, Kolisi has also improved immeasurably as a leader, particularly in terms of how he now commands a presence when communicating and engaging with referees.

It’s particularly for this reason that I’d suggest the 30-year-old should just Eben Etzebeth as the SA Rugby Player of the Year.

Both Bok forwards have been understandably nominated for the prized award of 2021, and are expected to be the two frontrunners despite facing competition from Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende and Makazole Mapimpi.

Etzebeth has certainly been one of the Springboks’ standout performers throughout this year, starting in 12 of the 13 Tests played in 2021. His impressive mobility is remarkable for such a big man, while his work rate also appears insatiable after producing one 80-minute performance after another.

There is really very little to separate Kolisi and Etzebeth in terms of their on-field impact in 2021.

However, when considering the leadership growth from the Bok captain, and the context of how he returned to fitness and form after battling with a serious injury at the start of the year, there really can only be one winner for SA Rugby Player of the Year!

WATCH: KOLISI BUMPS OFF WALES SCRUMHALF – WITH XHOSA COMMENTARY