Worcester Warriors director of rugby Gary Gold believes Stormers flanker Siya Kolisi is the right man to captain the Springboks in the Test arena.
Stormers lock Eben Etzebeth is currently the two-time world champions' stand-in skipper but Gold feels Kolisi, who is the Stormers' captain in Super Rugby, should lead the Boks in regular skipper Warren Whiteley's absence.
Gold, who was the Boks' forwards coach from 2008 to 2011, gave his opinion via a column for the TimesLIVE website.
"Siya Kolisi encapsulates the new-found attitude in the Springbok camp and wears his heart on his sleeve," explained Gold.
"Eben Etzebeth has done a wonderful job as captain in Warren Whiteley's injury-enforced absence but there are many reasons why I feel Kolisi should comfortably be the next Springbok captain.
"He is a world-class player, a natural leader and, as the incumbent Stormers skipper, has already proven his leadership ability. I'm not for a second taking anything away from Etzebeth but Kolisi leading the Springboks makes sense for South Africa."
Gold also praised Coetzee's decision to recall Handré Pollard, Ross Cronjé and Dillyn Leyds for their Australasian leg of the Rugby Championship and defended the Bok coach for perservering with Test newbies Andries Coetzee, Courtnall Skosan and Raymond Rhule as his first-choice full-back and wings.
"Dillyn Leyds, Handré Pollard and Ross Cronjé have been included in the Springbok touring squad for the Australasian leg of the Rugby Championship, with Coetzee opting for continuity," added Gold, who also coached the Sharks during the 2015 and 2016 Super Rugby seasons.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, Coetzee has made the correct call by sticking to his tried-and-tested personnel. The more they train and play together, the better they are going to become.
"Some pundits have expressed reservations about the relatively green back three of Andries Coetzee, Raymond Rhule and Courtnall Skosan. They are new Springboks learning their way and are in the rookie stages of their international careers.
"However, to single out individuals is not the answer. It's less about the back three combination not playing as well as the week before and more about the players in question feeling as though they are part of something special.
"The Springboks aren't going to get everything right in every single Test. However, the signs are promising and we need to continue to back the current group of players."
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