Siya Kolisi makes big Springbok admission
03/27/2025 04:54 AM
In recent weeks, Siya Kolisi has certainly caught the eye with some impressive performances at No 8, a position where the Sharks have been only too happy to deploy the Springbok captain.
With Sharks coach John Plumtree believing this position is best suited to Kolisi’s attacking strengths, such as his offloading and ball-carrying, it has seemingly also given the 33-year-old a new lease on life.
It will be interesting to see whether the Springboks could also consider Kolisi in this position at some stage or another during the international season, although there is no doubt that the national team will have different requirements to the Sharks.
After a recent Man of the Match display, Kolisi interestingly acknowledged that it wasn’t his recent try-scoring form, but aspects of his game such as defence and work rate that made him realise he needed to make a step up after the Springbok alignment camp earlier this month.
“Being in camp was difficult, you kind of catch a wake-up,” Kolisi confessed.
“Those moments are not what is looked at (by the Springbok coaches), it’s what I do all around the field. The most important thing is my work rate, I just wanted to be better at that and be more effective for the team.
“There’s much more room for improvement. It took long enough for me to make big hits on the gain line. The thing is, since we’ve been at camp, I’m aware that I’m tackling with my hands (instead of the shoulder) and that’s not the standard.”
SIYA KOLISI WILL BE CAREFULLY MANAGED DURING THIS SPRINGBOK SEASON:
FIXTURES
DATE TBC: vs Barbarians, TBC
5 July: vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
12 July: vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
19 July: vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland
13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington
27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban
4 October: vs Argentina, London
1 November: vs Wales, Cardiff
8 November: vs France, Paris
15 November: vs Italy, Turin
22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin
*SA Rugby are working on adding at least one more Test for the Springboks, likely to be against Japan in Cape Town
WILL YOU BE ATTENDING ANY OF THESE TESTS?
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