Siya Kolisi’s Springboks ‘sacrifice’ and why Stormers youngsters ‘respect’ the ‘humble’ superstar more

After realising he wouldn’t be involved in the Springboks’ Test match against the Wallabies at the end of September, Siya Kolisi made a huge commitment to his new Stormers teammates.

Out in Perth with the international side, the double World Cup-winning captain joined his new teammates on the west coast of Ireland.

His Stormers ‘second debut’ wasn’t set to be for another week, but the 35-year-old knew the importance of gelling with the squad beforehand – a point appreciated by number eight Hacjivah Dayimani.

“As soon as he found out he wasn’t playing, he asked if he could join us, and the Springboks thankfully allowed him to come join us and spend a bit of time with us, get to know some of the youngsters, so we were quite happy with it,” the 29-year-old said in this week’s press conference.

The double World Cup-winning Bok will start at openside flanker against Edinburgh on Friday, with Louw Nel moving to blindside, while Dayimani retains his spot at eight.

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“He really wants to be part of this team”

Kolisi’s insistence on bonding with the squad has been hugely beneficial, according to forwards coach Rito Hlungwani, who said: “I think what he really wanted to do was come and bond with the guys. You know, the best way to bond is when you’re on tour.

“It’s really good for the players to see that it’s not this Springbok captain, superstar player that’s coming to join them, but a humble player who’s just like any one of them, willing to work hard, willing to belong, willing to get accepted by the team, and using actions to get that right.”

His actions have certainly resonated with the team ahead of what will be his second ‘debut’ at the club, after leaving in 2020 to join the Sharks.

“He really wants to be part of this team, and he showed it in how he sacrificed that travel from Perth to Dubai, Dubai to Dublin, and then taking a bus to Galway,” Hlungwani continued. “It shows the type of guy he is, and it’s something we all respect and appreciate.

“It just brings the team together even more, and shows that these guys are hungry to play for the Stormers. A very good example, and I hope a lot of boys can learn from that.”

The Stormers currently sit in third place in the table after beating Connacht in the URC opener.

READ MORE: Ben Smith: Springboks ‘manipulated’ the All Blacks in a part of the game that has become a lot harder than when I was playing