Siya Kolisi: Springboks captain’s South Africa return saved from ‘brink of collapse’ – report

Springboks captain Siya Kolisi’s hopes of returning to South Africa to rejoin the Sharks has received a massive boost.

Kolisi is looking to exit the final two years of his contract with Racing 92 after struggling to settle down in Paris but negotiations over a release fee has been the stumbling block.

While the flanker enjoyed a strong start to his Racing 92 career – joining the team following the 2023 Rugby World Cup – his progress was hampered by injuries and it all turned sour when club president Jacky Lorenzetti publically criticised him.

Financial boost for the Sharks

Racing 92 and the Sharks have been locked in negotiations for the latter to buy Kolisi out of his contract in Paris but reports last week stated that the deal was ‘on the brink of collapse’.

This was because the Sharks wished to pay the hefty fee believed to be around R17 million (about £726,000) in instalments but Lorenzetti rejected the proposal wanting the sum up front – as Racing 92 also paid the Sharks a similar lump sum to secure Kolisi’s signature.

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That looked to have pushed the talks to make or break but a new report in South Africa suggests that the Sharks have been thrown a lifejacket.

According to Sunday newspaper, Rapport, Kolisi could return to the Sharks after the Rugby Championship thanks to the generosity of businessman Vincent Mai – who also financed Kolisi’s schooling at Grey High in Gqeberha.

The Rapport states that Mai is willing to assist the Sharks in paying the hefty fee to secure the Springboks skipper’s return to South Africa.

The businessman is also a former Grey High student and has made most of his money in the United Kingdom and the USA before he set up the Vincent Mai Scholarship which Kolisi was the first recipient of in his youth.

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SA Rugby role in Siya Kolisi’s return

Issues around Kolisi playing abroad were first raised by Rassie Erasmus who stated earlier this year that he prefers his Springboks captain to be locally-based.

Despite this, the double World Cup winner has managed to retain the captaincy and Erasmus has since welcomed the potential return of his skipper to a South African franchise.

While SA Rugby have confirmed that they have lent advice to the Sharks over the negotiations, they will not be contributing to the fee paid to buy him out of his contract but they will likely contribute to his salary through the PONI (Player of National Interest) scheme.

This could see SA Rugby pay as much as R3.5 million towards his annual salary.

READ MORE: Springboks: Siya Kolisi in doubt for second All Blacks Test after nasty injury