Why captain Siya Kolisi should celebrate Springbok century under Stade de France's lights

Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus must make a bold decision over the next couple of weeks about where his captain, Siya Kolisi, will celebrate his 100th Test for the national team.

The double World Cup-winning captain currently has 98 Tests for his country, and with five matches scheduled for November in Europe, Kolisi is likely to reach that milestone within the next month.

As a leader who has come to embody the best of South African rugby, the milestone must mean more than just aceremony, though, it should reflect his journey and his legacy. That is why Kolisi’s century must be at the Stade de France in Paris, in the second Test against France, tipped to be the showpiece fixture of the tour.

The Boks open their northern campaign against Japan at Wembley Stadium. It’s a good game for rhythm and rotation — a chance to test combinations, ease players back after a demanding season, and build momentum.

That is the perfect setting for Kolisi’s 99th. Get the number out of the way, settle the nerves, and clear the emotional clutter before the main match.

Because when the Boks run out at the Stade de France, everything changes.

France versus South Africa. A repeat of the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final. Les Bleus will still carry the sting of their loss, a defeat that shattered a nation’s dream. They will want to exact revenge. And that’s exactly where Kolisi belongs — at the centre of the fire, leading from the front in arguably the biggest rematch.

The symbolism would be impossible to ignore. It was at that very same venue late in October 2023 that Kolisi hoisted the Webb Ellis Cup for the second time. To return to the cauldron, two years later, to lead the Boks again — this time in his 100th Test — would be the perfect poetic full circle.

Beyond sentiment, there’s strategy.

Erasmus is acutely aware that the Rugby World Cup draw for 2027 takes place on December 3, and that world rankings will determine the seeding. The Springboks need to finish the year inside the top three to ensure they avoid another brutally unbalanced pool like the one they faced in 2023.

Every ranking point will matter, and victories over top-tier nations like France carry far more weight than those against Japan.

Kolisi’s presence in Paris would do more than inspire his teammates — it would lift the occasion, sharpen the focus, and remind the rugby world that the Boks remain the standard. A 100th Test at the Stade de France — where he achieved arguably his greatest triumph — would not just celebrate his resilience, but also celebrate his illustrious career.

Playing his century elsewhere, even against Ireland, would feel almost subdued.

So, Erasmus should let him tick off number 99 in England. But number 100? That should happen in Paris under the floodlights of the Stade de France against one of the best teams in the world.

Yes, the world champions are not a team that focuses on individual milestones — and they’ve likely made peace with the fact that the captain won’t reach the achievement in front of his home fans — but giving him the century in Paris could carry significant meaning.

A win, though difficult for Bok centurions, will assert their dominance in world rugby and place Kolisi firmly in the mix as the greatest Bok captain and one of SA rugby’s greatest players and servants.