The angle to the Siya Kolisi story that is the real cautionary tale

These are exciting times for Springboks fans. Their team – No1 ranked in the world and holders of four Rugby World Cups, in case anyone has failed to mention it today – begin The Rugby Championship with great optimism.

Much of the squad that triumphed in France last year has been retained and there is just the right blend of exuberant youth to keep things fresh. Rassie Erasmus remains at the wheel and has seemingly given licence to his new attack guru Tony Brown to loosen the reins on what could potentially be the most swashbuckling backline in the competition.

We can add to the mix the return of Mzanzi’s most beloved son. As revealed by RugbyPass last week, Siya Kolisi, the face of South African rugby, is set to leave Racing 92 after just 18 games. He is trading Paris for Durban, home of his former club, the Sharks, which has been greeted as good news by his national team coach.

“Siya really wants to come back,” Erasmus told the gathered press in the lead-up to his team’s Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday. “They asked us to join up in the conversation if we want him back and our answer was yeah, obviously.

“It’s nice to have your captain in your country but I am not quite sure how far the deal is or if the Sharks have signed him and when it’s announced. But yes, we know about it and we are happy about it.”

This is somewhat of a coup for South African rugby on and off the field. It means that the man with the best story to tell will be more readily available for corporate breakfasts, late night TV show talks and charitable outreach programmes.

It also means that opposition flankers can test themselves against a truly elite operator while young teammates get to witness first-hand how one of the world’s best loose forwards goes about his business. The Sharks, already stacked with star power, will now quietly back themselves in the URC and Champions Cup.

There is, however, another angle to this story. A cautionary tale for any wealthy owner of a foreign club who might believe that merely adding a starting Springbok to their roster will act as a silver bullet for success.

While there is some merit to the argument that a tier one Bok offers the prospect of extra heft in the tight channels, a winning mentality and a bit of pizzazz around the dressing room, there are other variables that have to be in place in order to get the best out of them.

It is common knowledge that Kolisi has missed South Africa. Any expat will relate. It’s not just the absence of loved ones that tugs at the heart, but the absence of familiar foods and sights and intonations.

When you grow up in a particular place the air you breathe, the hues at sunset, the shade of the soil and the shape of the vegetation become part of the great mosaic of the space you call home.

This is purely anecdotal but it is my belief that South Africans are among the most parochial of world travellers. Perhaps it is because we are plonked at the bottom of an enormous continent with nothing but vast stretches of ocean to the south, east and west.

Perhaps it’s because of our recent history and the mythology that colours our view of the world. Whatever the reason, South Africans of all stripes seem to fizz with giddiness whenever we see someone carrying our nation’s flag at a music festival or we hear a familiar accent at a foreign bar. “You’re from South Africa!” we exclaim with zeal. “No way! Me too!”

In short, if you want a South African to perform at their best abroad it might help to create a feeling of home away from home. The two best examples of this have been found south-west of Manchester and north-west of London where cohorts of Saffas turned Sale Sharks into title contenders and morphed Saracens into one of rugby’s greatest dynasties.

Over the years I have spoken with key figures from these two English teams and familiar themes emerged. Faf de Klerk, who played 101 matches for Sale across five years, said that it was “great to hear South African accents, especially Afrikaans accents. It makes me feel like I’m home”.

Brad Barritt and Schalk Brits, two prominent players at the so-called Saffacens, have echoed this sentiment. Vincent Koch, Ivan van Zyl, Jono Ross and several others have also confirmed this theory.

They have suggested that on-field performances are directly connected to conversations around the braai. That sharing a moan about the awful British weather while pontificating over the proper way to tan a chop over flames can lead to a higher tackle rate. That packing down in the scrum alongside someone who knows the correct word for a traffic light can compel you to push that little bit harder.

Could a sense of familiarity be the reason why several South Africans have flourished in the more religiously observant Ulster when compared to those who were signed by the other Irish provinces? Is this why Scottish sides have managed to attract South Africans more than Welsh clubs?

So rather than being “fat” and “transparent”, as Racing 92’s owner Jacky Lorenzetti called him, perhaps Kolisi was simply home sick. Perhaps when he walked through his front door and kicked off his shoes, it was the absence of a cold Castle lager and a meander through SuperSport Blitz, rather than any incompatible game plan, that saw him drop his usually excellent standards.

If you were a club owner spending around €850,000 a season on a player’s salary, wouldn’t it be prudent to ensure that such a costly asset has the most conducive environment around him?