The Rassie Erasmus verdict on the Siya Kolisi to Sharks speculation

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that Siya Kolisi will soon be unveiled as a Sharks player for the 2024/25 club season. It was last Friday when RugbyPass exclusively reported that the double Rugby World Cup-winning captain would be leaving Racing 92 following just a single season in the French capital with the Durban-based Sharks, his old club, the likely destination.   

Four days after that revelation, Erasmus has now admitted that Kolisi is indeed on his way back to the Kings Park franchise he left at the end of the 2022/23 URC campaign.   

Tuesday’s Springboks media briefing in Brisbane ahead of next Saturday’s Rugby Championship opener away to Australia was 25 minutes old when Erasmus took a final online question in English, the first query put to him at the team announcement press session about the 33-year-old he had just named to captain the Test side versus the Wallabies.   

“Siya Kolisi is rumoured to be coming back to South Africa,” began a journalist. “A while back, you said it would be ideal to have the national captain to be based in the country. What are your thoughts on Siya coming back to South Africa?”

After initially making a gag about Kolisi’s agent nagging and nagging, Erasmus set aside his joking and said: “Siya really wants to come back. Obviously it’s a Sharks decision and then we obviously back it up if we want to support something like that. So obviously when they asked us, we’re supporting 100 per cent and it’s lovely to have him. They will obviously officially announce it. 

“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.”