BKT United Rugby Championship side, the Hollywoodbets Sharks, have confirmed the signing of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi.
The news broke this morning following yesterday’s revelation that Racing 92 and Kolisi had ‘mutually parted ways’ following just one season.
Double World Cup winner Kolisi signed a three-year deal with the Top 14 club but appeared to have a fractious relationship with club owner Jacky Lorenzetti, who felt the backrow was not the same player for his team as he was for the Springboks.
RugbyPass first reported that the two parties had reached an impasse and that Kolisi was in talks for a return to the Sharks, where he had previously spent two seasons. The Sharks confirmed the news today, releasing a video of the Springbok captain on their social media channels.
BACK IN BLACK 🦈 pic.twitter.com/SQnyJnUXSb
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) September 9, 2024
The 33-year-old released a statement of his own: “My family and I have enjoyed a wonderful year abroad that has given us cherished memories.
“We have missed South Africa, though, and it is time to come home. I would like to thank Racing 92 for accommodating my request to return home and for the exciting opportunity they gave me to play abroad. It is a great club steeped in tradition with an impressive group of players, who I can now call brothers for life.
“I am excited to be returning to Durban to re-join the Hollywoodbets Sharks. My family and I love Durban and its people, and I cannot wait to run out onto the park at Hollywoodbets Kings Park during the 2024/2025 rugby season.”
Kolisi who has won 88-caps for the Springboks and captained the side to back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023 remains a key member of the national set-up and joins a host of other international signings by the Sharks this offseason.
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