{"id":54461,"date":"2018-05-31T06:00:09","date_gmt":"2018-05-31T04:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/"},"modified":"2025-03-20T17:44:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T15:44:09","slug":"former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>BORN and bred in Nelson Mandela Bay, Siyamthanda \u201cSiya\u201d Kolisi has made history, being appointed as the first ever black captain to lead the Springbok rugby team in its 127th year of existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kolisi will lead the Springboks into the battle for the three test series against England next month. His more immediate assignment is a once-off test against Wales in the United States of America this weekend (Saturday, June 2nd). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SA Rugby director and Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus made the announcement last weekend. He included 17 uncapped players in his first Springbok squad of 43 for the forthcoming tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kolisi\u2019s first home game as captain will be on Emirates Airline Park in June 9th.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI know Siya is a good leader and I am excited about what he can offer us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI coached him since he was 18 years old when he arrived at the Stormers from the Eastern Cape,\u201d said Erasmus, who also hails from Nelson Mandela Bay where he was born and bred in Despatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The near 27-year old Kolisi was born on 16th June 1991 in Zwide and matriculated from Grey High in Port Elizabeth.<span>\u2013 SPORT24<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BORN and bred in Nelson Mandela Bay, Siyamthanda \u201cSiya\u201d Kolisi has made history, being appointed as the first ever black captain to lead the Springbok rugby team in its 127th year of existence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":54463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_eb_attr":"","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"abc0a8f3-3d9c-4223-b1a8-0fb483155e0a","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-54461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks | UD Express (Uitenhage)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BORN and bred in Nelson Mandela Bay, Siyamthanda \u201cSiya\u201d Kolisi has made history, being appointed as the first ever black captain to lead the Springbok rugby team in its 127th year of existence.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UD Express (Uitenhage)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-31T04:00:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-20T15:44:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"508\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"820\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"UD Express\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"UD Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"UD Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e204c6259f59eee600a8578c6fc1f4d6\"},\"headline\":\"Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-31T04:00:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-20T15:44:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":194,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2018\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/\",\"name\":\"Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks | UD Express (Uitenhage)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-31T04:00:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-20T15:44:09+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg\",\"width\":508,\"height\":820,\"caption\":\"=Siya Kolisi. Photo:SPORT24\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"UD Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UD Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"UD Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/EP_Media24\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\\\/videos\"],\"description\":\"UD Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) and Despatch communities since 1971, making it the oldest single-title free sheet in South Africa. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 30,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door across Kariega, Despatch, and surrounding areas every week.\",\"email\":\"udexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"0+2719925650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e204c6259f59eee600a8578c6fc1f4d6\",\"name\":\"UD Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"UD Express\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/author\\\/udexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks | UD Express (Uitenhage)","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks","og_description":"BORN and bred in Nelson Mandela Bay, Siyamthanda \u201cSiya\u201d Kolisi has made history, being appointed as the first ever black captain to lead the Springbok rugby team in its 127th year of existence.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/","og_site_name":"UD Express (Uitenhage)","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2018-05-31T04:00:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-20T15:44:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":508,"height":820,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"UD Express","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EP_Media24","twitter_site":"@EP_Media24","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"UD Express","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/"},"author":{"name":"UD Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/e204c6259f59eee600a8578c6fc1f4d6"},"headline":"Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks","datePublished":"2018-05-31T04:00:09+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-20T15:44:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/"},"wordCount":194,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2018","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/","name":"Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks | UD Express (Uitenhage)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg","datePublished":"2018-05-31T04:00:09+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-20T15:44:09+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg","width":508,"height":820,"caption":"=Siya Kolisi. Photo:SPORT24"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/former-bay-rugby-player-to-lead-springboks-20180530-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Former Bay rugby player to lead Springboks"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/","name":"UD Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization","name":"UD Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"UD Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EP_Media24","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000\/videos"],"description":"UD Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) and Despatch communities since 1971, making it the oldest single-title free sheet in South Africa. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 30,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door across Kariega, Despatch, and surrounding areas every week.","email":"udexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"0+2719925650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/e204c6259f59eee600a8578c6fc1f4d6","name":"UD Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"UD Express"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/author\/udexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2ff6a793343f4b1f9e946e512bb3da10.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":265076,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/gqeberha-crowd-praised-for-electric-atmosphere-at-springbok-test\/","url_meta":{"origin":54461,"position":0},"title":"Gqeberha crowd praised for electric atmosphere at Springbok test","author":"Shanti Jafta","date":"13 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The atmosphere at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and how the crowd got behind the Springboks was unlike something I have ever seen. It was electric,\" said 92-year-old.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Areli Kockjeu (92) attending a Springboks test for the first time at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250712_163444.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250712_163444.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250712_163444.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250712_163444.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250712_163444.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250712_163444.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":266254,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/springboks-field-star-studded-squad-for-wallabies-showdown\/","url_meta":{"origin":54461,"position":1},"title":"Springboks field star-studded squad for Wallabies showdown","author":"Novus Media","date":"11 August 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Springboks will field a formidable lineup featuring 18 Rugby World Cup winners when they take on Australia in Saturday\u2019s Castle Lager Rugby Championship opener at Ellis Park, with coach Rassie Erasmus naming one of his strongest possible teams for the highly anticipated clash. The selection marks a significant milestone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Siya Kolisi will be again leading the Springboks on Saturday.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/250811-siya-kolisi-springboks.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/250811-siya-kolisi-springboks.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/250811-siya-kolisi-springboks.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/250811-siya-kolisi-springboks.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/250811-siya-kolisi-springboks.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/250811-siya-kolisi-springboks.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":264552,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/springboks-dream-comes-true-for-congolese-refugee-vincent-tshituka\/","url_meta":{"origin":54461,"position":2},"title":"Springboks dream comes true for Congolese refugee Vincent Tshituka","author":"Lise Beyers","date":"4 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The remarkable rise of flanker Vincent Tshituka from a child refugee to the Springboks Test team will be completed on Saturday when he faces Italy in Pretoria. He fled to South Africa from the Democratic Republic of Congo with his family in 2002 to avoid politically-induced violence. Later, while studying\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Features&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"From child refugee to Springbok, Vincent Tshituka's remarkable rise culminates Saturday against Italy.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43625,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/nelson-mandela-bay-stadium-to-host-the-springboks-return-20250305-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":54461,"position":3},"title":"Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to host the Springboks\u2019 return","author":"UD Express","date":"6 March 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"NELSON Mandela Bay (NMB) Stadium is set to welcome the Springboks back to the Bay in a much-anticipated showdown with Italy on July 12.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43633,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/nelson-mandela-bay-stadium-to-host-the-springboks-return-20250305\/","url_meta":{"origin":54461,"position":4},"title":"Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to host the Springboks\u2019 return","author":"UD Express","date":"6 March 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"NELSON Mandela Bay (NMB) Stadium is set to welcome the Springboks back to the Bay in a much-anticipated showdown with Italy on July 12.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":264650,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/van-den-berg-strikes-twice-as-springboks-beat-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":54461,"position":5},"title":"Van den Berg strikes twice as Springboks beat Italy","author":"Lise Beyers","date":"6 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"PRETORIA - Scrum-half Morne van den Berg scored two tries as Rugby World Cup title-holders South Africa beat Italy 42-24 in Pretoria on Saturday in the first of two Tests. Winning his third cap, the 27-year-old half-back from the Johannesburg-based Lions also impressed with his tactical kicking and won the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Springbok rugbykaartjies","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Damian-willemse-springboks.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Damian-willemse-springboks.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Damian-willemse-springboks.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Damian-willemse-springboks.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Damian-willemse-springboks.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Damian-willemse-springboks.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"UD Express (Uitenhage)","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54461"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=54461"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=54461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}