Springbok skipper and Sharks stalwart Siya Kolisi has attributed his red-hot form to the boost of having his family join him in Durban last year.

Kolisi packed his bags in 2021 and moved from the Stormers to the Sharks where he had to adjust to a different environment, franchise and style of play. The Bok captain is in arguably the form of his life and came close to winning the SA Rugby Player of the Year award, losing out to his best friend and teammate Eben Etzebeth.

Kolisi has been dynamic in open play, bringing a physical intensity that harks back to 2012 and his breakout season at the Stormers, and his experience and leadership has added stability to the Sharks.

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While he has always fired for the Springboks, Kolisi’s move to Durban coincided with a slump in form domestically. He has since recovered to deliver outstanding performances in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and the Champions Cup.

“My family wasn’t staying with me but they are in Durban now, which has made a big difference,” Kolisi told News24 in Gqeberha, where he launched his new biopic, Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story.

”My heart … once my heart is happy, I can do my job well. I don’t know, maybe I am fitter than I have been. But my drive has never changed. I have enjoyed myself.”

“I’ve been playing the same way but what I think’s happening now is that I have the ball in my hands more and people aren’t used to seeing me with ball in hand, which is what I grew up doing.”

“People who know me from the township (Zwide) say that this is the Siya they know, when I’m playing like this.”

“But when I play for the Boks, I’m asked to do a different job to the Sharks.”

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Photo: Twitter/@SharksRugby