'He's direct and honest' - Siya Kolisi upbeat about Neil Powell's coaching authority at the Sharks

Sharks flank Siya Kolisi has welcomed the addition of director of rugby Neil Powell's voice at the Durban franchise, singling out his forthrightness as one of his distinguishing traits.

Under Powell, the Sharks have implemented a new coaching structure and have opted to separate the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup from Currie Cup and youth rugby.

As such, Powell becomes the union's head coaching honcho, with all coaches reporting directly to him.

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"Coach Neil is amazing and very experienced in the 7s circuit and his voice means a lot because of what he’s achieved. Some of us have known him since we were 19 years old and it’s great to have him," said Kolisi.

"He takes a lot of pressure off the coaching staff because he can manage everything off the field and make sure there are plans going forward so Sean can focus on the rugby." 

"He gets stuck in with boys during training sessions and we really enjoy having him. He’s an honest and direct man and a very understanding man as well," Kolisi added.

Kolisi and a host of Springbok colleagues played off the bench in that impressive 40-12 win at the weekend and, for the Bok captain, the players will take on whatever mandate comes from the coaching staff.

"All we can do as players is work hard and perform each weekend because competition is tight and it takes away complacency. Coming back, we can see how the guys are performing so we have to pitch up week in and week out.

"The plan to have us play from the bench worked well. We were excited and just happy to be back and to join this group after what they did on tour and we wanted to add value."

Add value they did as they stretched a 13-7 half-time scoreline,