Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks can’t afford to let emotion dictate selection as Siya Kolisi closes in on his 100th Test appearance.

Kolisi, who earned his 97th cap in the victory over Argentina in Durban, is set to follow Eben Etzebeth and Willie le Roux into the Bok centurion club. Midfield powerhouse Damian de Allende and loose forward Pieter-Steph du Toit are also edging closer, both sitting on 92 Tests.

Bok skyscraper joins squad in London

If picked, Kolisi would reach 98 caps against Argentina at Twickenham before South Africa embark on a tough end-of-year tour featuring matches against Japan, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales.

Erasmus acknowledged the significance of Kolisi’s milestone, but stressed that milestones will not come at the expense of results.

“There are so many emotional decisions one has to make,” Erasmus said.

“We are tight and very good friends, and there’s a mutual belief in each other.

“We have [Makazole] Mapimpi, who is on 47 [Test caps], and we want to get him to 50 Tests, and Siya [Kolisi] has 97 caps. You can’t always plan where players will earn their 100th Test cap.

“If you start thinking too much about it, that’s when you start risking losing Tests sometimes. Whether he does it against France or wherever it may be, we will celebrate it there when it happens.”

RASSIE: Cheslin’s brilliance outweighs ‘brainfart’

The Bok boss added that several other players are also on the radar for personal milestones and reintegration into the squad.

“As mentioned, we want to get Makazole Mapimpi to his milestone. And we don’t forget players such as Jaden and Jordan [Hendrikse], Elrich [Louw], Ben-Jason [Dixon], [Ntuthuko] Mchunu, Gerhard Steenekamp and Salmaan Moerat.

“Then there’s also guys like Kurt-Lee [Arendse], Edwill [Van der Merwe] and [Aphelele] Fassi. There are plenty of other players who have played for us [who could be back in the mix]. We try to work it out as best as possible.

“I don’t think we’re in a position after this game [Argentina] where we get France, Ireland and Japan to plan for Siya’s centurion match. So he will have to take it as it comes.”

Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images