Siya Kolisi: Winners and losers from transfer saga as Jacky Lorenzetti and Rassie Erasmus ‘get their way’
Our winners and losers from Siya Kolisi's transfer saga.
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has made his highly publicised return to the Sharks after just one season at Racing 92.
Kolisi made the move to the French capital after the Rugby World Cup last year but returns to South Africa just one season into his three-year deal.
With the long-rumoured return to the Sharks now confirmed, we take a look at who are the winners and losers from the saga.
Winners
Siya Kolisi
It was widely reported that Kolisi and his family failed to settle in Paris and the flanker himself admitted that he missed living in South Africa.
The flanker explained in an interview with L’Equipe that he felt that he was ‘stealing’ from the club as he was away for three months of the season due to international commitments and that he made the decision to leave because his body needed more rest.
These are all understandable reasonings, while he also stated that his love for playing for the Springboks drove him to the decision too.
What he doesn’t address is the comments made by the club president at the end of last season as Jacky Lorenzetti laid into him saying he had ‘gained weight, lost shape and was transparent’.
Frankly, who would want to work for a boss like that? Sportspeople are constantly in the firing line by fans and pundits and one would hope that your employer would be in your corner and Lorenzetti was not. Whether the comments were justified or not, they did not need to be shared on one of French rugby’s biggest sites.
Kolisi is loved by the South African people and will get a huge reception wherever he plays in the Republic in the Sharks‘ jersey. His return means that he will also be better placed to retain the Springboks captaincy after Rassie Erasmus raised concerns earlier in the year about having his skipper based abroad. The Bok boss has repeatedly expressed the want to extend veteran players’ careers and with Kolisi back in SA, he will have better control over that.
Rassie Erasmus
The Springboks boss is also getting what he wanted as the man that he first handed the captaincy back in 2018 returns to SA shores. As mentioned above, Erasmus wanted his captain to be locally based and it is a huge boost for his planning for him to be back in Durban.
Erasmus also gets the added boost of Kolisi working day in and out with some of the rising stars in the Springboks jersey including the likes of Phepsi Buthelezi, who is viewed as a potential successor to him in the Green and Gold six jersey.
The Bok boss will have better access to the double World Cup-winning captain, who will also now be able to attend all the alignment camps having had to call into those preparations this year.
Racing 92
While Kolisi’s departure is a blow to the club’s profile and back-row stocks, the fact that they would have got a fee for his early exit is a boost.
Racing can now use those funds to find a successor, perhaps one that is actually a better fit and one that could be more regularly available to them.
Top 14 teams do have huge budgets but they still need to balance books and, having signed Owen Farrell this year, Kolisi’s departure does give them more leeway.
Sharks
For the Sharks, the return of the Springboks captain is a huge boost to their already well-stocked back-row options. His name will also sell tickets and, having reportedly got help from a successful businessman to secure Kolisi’s return, they are big winners.
Kolisi is a huge marketing draw for the Durban franchise and is no slouch on the park despite what Racing’s owner might say.
Phepsi Buthelezi
Buthelezi could well have been a loser in this situation depending on how the Sharks’ coaching team decides to set-up their back-row with Kolisi back. However, Erasmus explained that the Sharks star basically lived with the Bok captain during his time in the squad earlier this year.
As mentioned earlier, Buthlezi is seen as a possible long-term successor to Kolisi in the Boks set-up and working with the captain on a daily basis can only aid his development. Yes, he will have stiffer competition for starting minutes but that’s a healthy headache.
Hacjivah Dayimani
Back to Racing and new signing Hacjivah Dayimani is likely to benefit from Kolisi’s departure as he is bound to get more minutes in the bigger games.
The former Stormers star did not debut for the team in the opening round of the Top 14 season but is bound to get his chance sometime soon. He, too, has stiff competition in the form of Jordan Joseph, Cameron Woki, Ibrahim Diallo, and Fabien Sanconnie to name a few. However, with Kolisi gone, he is likely to get more opportunities in the big Champions Cup and Top 14 fixtures.
Jacky Lorenzetti
It’s clear that Racing’s president Jacky Lorenzetti was not pleased with his return on investment in Kolisi’s first season. However, he may well be more pleased now as he has seemingly got his way.
It is reported that he rejected the Sharks’ request to pay the buyout fee in instalments after he forked out a huge sum to get Kolisi to Paris. It’s fair to assume that his tactic to get the fee upfront has worked.
Siya Kolisi: Springboks captain’s South Africa return saved from ‘brink of collapse’
Losers
James Venter and fringe forwards
Flanker James Venter was a standout for the Sharks in the Challenge Cup final last season, racking up an impressive 18 tackles while starring with ball in hand too. However, it’s unlikely that he will get the backing over Kolisi in such a big fixture this season.
The loose forward has been excellent for the franchise but is bound to find himself playing an impact role for the team in the big games.
Meanwhile, Kolisi’s return is also set to push the likes of George Cronje and Tino Mavesere further down the pecking order. The last season’s URC campaign proved that the Sharks needed to build their depth in the squad and they have addressed those concerns but that doesn’t make it any easier for the aforementioned players.
The Tshitukas
Brothers Emmanuel and Vincent Tshituka could well be losers in this case too as Kolisi could edge ahead of one of them in the pecking order for Champions Cup fixtures.
The Congolese-born loose forwards have been pressing for higher honours and, now that they are officially qualified for the Springboks, they will be eager to continue to stake their claims.
Vincent has also reportedly attracted interest from French clubs and could eventually be deemed surplus to requirement and be moved on to free up space in the Sharks’ budget.
This all comes down to how the Sharks coaches decide to piece together their back-row as both Tshitukas can play on the side of the scrum as well as at number eight. It’s a healthy problem to have for John Plumtree and co. as Buthelezi also comes into the equation.
Stuart Lancaster
Kolisi explained in his interview with L’Equipe that when Racing recruited him, they thought they would have him full-time as he was unsure about his international future.
That did not prove to be the case as Erasmus recalled the star to the Springboks squad this year and, with his departure now confirmed, head coach Stuart Lancaster has lost the services of a world-class back-rower.
It will be tricky for him to find a replacement and, while he does have some solid depth right now, Kolisi was still a more than capable option.
Perhaps the Bok captain would have been eager to battle on in Paris but the remarks of Lorenzetti ultimately soured things.
READ MORE: Siya Kolisi joins five mega-money signings who ‘flopped’ at Racing 92
