1
Siya Kolisi to sign for Sharks after shock Racing 92 exit
By Neil Fissler
Siya Kolisi is this week set to seal a return to his former club, the Sharks, after holding more talks with French giants Racing 92 about securing an early release from the final two years of his lucrative €1m a year contract.
RugbyPass exclusively broke the biggest rugby transfer story of the summer on Friday that Kolisi had opened talks about a shock return to the Sharks and it is now within touching distance.
Kolisi, 33, only joined Racing after captaining the Springboks to a second successive World Cup title last October but the move has turned out to be less than successful however.
He made 18 appearances for the La Defense Arena outfit but was the subject of an extraordinary attack by Racing owner Jacky Lorenzetti, who accused him of being “transparent” in their crunch Top 14 defeat to Bordeaux-Begles in June.
The superstar flanker has failed to settle in Paris. His family has already returned to South Africa, and he is now in the final stages of finalising his release to join them after the completion of the Rugby Championship.
Kolisi, who started his career with Western Province and the Stormers, moved to Durban in 2021 and was only three years into a five-year deal when Racing paid around R17m or around €850,000 to secure his release.
He started 28 of 31 appearances for the Sharks, who have spent heavily to avoid a repeat of the disaster of last season, which saw them finish third bottom of the URC table after losing 14 of 18 games.
Sharks owner and New York lawyer Marco Masott has authorised the big-money signings of Springboks Jordan Hendrikse, Andre Esterhuizen, Jason Jenkins and Trevor Nyakane to bolster their ranks.
Emmanuel Tshituka, who can play anywhere across the back row, has also been added to the squad from the Lions, and the signing of Kolisi will increase the pressure on the Sharks to climb the URC table to a more respectable position.
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Initial Immanuel Feyi-Waboso injury update does not sound promising
3
Ex-Wallaby explains why All Blacks aren’t at ‘panic stations’
4
Leinster player ratings vs Connacht | 2024/25 URC
5
Latest Comments
Hopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
Go to commentsNot surprised to see Barretts rating. He has always been a solid defender for the ABs but not particularly effective in attack situations.
Go to comments