Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has delivered a brutally honest assessment of the Sharks’ poor start to the season.
The Bok centurion says given the calibre of players in the squad, the Sharks shouldn’t be languishing at 14th on the Vodacom URC log after six rounds and need to rediscover their intensity across both the Investec Champions Cup and URC.
Speaking to Rugby365, Kolisi confirmed he is taking a short break after the Springboks’ unbeaten five-match European tour, while the Sharks travel to Toulouse for Sunday’s Champions Cup clash, but vowed to return with renewed fire.
“I’m going back to Cape Town to visit my kids,” he said. “And then, yes, definitely. We need to go back with the same mentality and the same attitude to our unions. But I want to make sure that I take next week off completely and then go back, because we have some big games.”
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The Bok skipper didn’t sugar-coat his frustration with the Sharks’ form.
“Honestly, with the squad we have at the Sharks, we shouldn’t be where we are. It’s really embarrassing for me as a player, to be honest. You can blame coaches all you want. Coaches can just do so much.”
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Kolisi said individual contributions had fallen below the required standard, starting with himself.
“There are players who are playing well and trying. But to be honest, all of us as a group, with the number of Springboks that we have, that’s not the standard we should be setting.
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“I put myself first. I haven’t been the best in the past two games that I played there. So, I hope to take all of this back and bring it forward, showing who we are.
“Because at the end of the day, we are Springboks, no matter where we go. And we have to play that way. So, hopefully we can bring better energy than we did in the past two games.”
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The Sharks face a season-defining stretch after Toulouse. Next week they host English powerhouse Saracens, then welcome the Bulls to Durban in a massive URC derby, before another tough clash against the Lions at Ellis Park on 3 January.
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
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