Kolisi leaves French club to rejoin Sharks

CAPE TOWN : South Africa captain Siya Kolisi has confirmed he has ended his association with French club Racing 92 to rejoin the Sharks in Durban, ending months of speculation over his future at club level.

He said he had negotiated an exit after a single season in the French Top 14, having struggled with injury and his form.

“We reached an agreement with the club. I am grateful for the way they handled the situation,” he told French daily L’Equipe on Sunday.

“When I arrived in Paris, I didn’t know what the future of my international career was but when I started playing for the national team again (in June), I realised that my body has no rest. And above all, if I play for South Africa, I miss three months of the Top 14 season. I am very well paid and it makes me feel like I am stealing from Racing.

“So, for me, my physical health and the club, I want to do what is right, I don't want to only invest half of myself. When they recruited me, they thought they had a full-time Siya Kolisi. But I love playing for South Africa so much, I want to continue with the Springboks.”

The 33-year-old Kolisi, who scored a try for South Africa as they beat New Zealand 18-12 in Cape Town on Saturday, will be heading back to Sharks.

“It was the last club I was at before coming to Racing, and all my friends and family are there,” he told L’Equipe.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson; editing by Pritha Sarkar)