Nkosi geared up to take the Cup home

For Sharks wing Sbu Nkosi a Currie Cup winners medal will be some compensation for being sidelined for much of the southern hemisphere international season after sustaining a foot injury following his great debut series for the Springboks against England in June.

Nkosi has endured a frustrating period on the sidelines, and when he did come back from injury he played just one game for the Sharks as a replacement before spending two weeks carrying tackle bags for the Boks during the home leg of the Rugby Championship.

But he made a strong statement about how determined he is when he walked away with the man-of-the-match award for his role in the semifinal win over the Golden Lions.

“It was a privilege to be part of the Bok camp in the Rugby Championship. Even though I did not play I loved it as much as the guys that did,” he said.

“However, it is also great to be back on a rugby field. And giving Kings Park a good performance on Saturday was a big honour,” said Nkosi.

The 22-year-old does not believe that there is any relevance in looking back at his team’s defeat to Western Province in the pool phase ahead of Saturday’s final against the same opponents.

Nkosi’s confidence is one of the attributes that made him a Springbok in 2018, and he shows that in the way he deals with the media.

“Of course not, of course not,” he said when asked if he and his teammates would start as underdogs at a venue where they lost 50-28 in a log decider four weeks ago.

“We are in a different space now. We have got comfortable with the shape we are playing, we have got better at decisionmaking, especially regarding ball in hand.

“But it is now a Currie Cup final and they are exceptionally tough. Space is very tight, it is hard to find out wide. So with that in mind, I will be doing everything in my power to make sure that cup flies back to Durban with us on Sunday.”

Nkosi said that if the Sharks win it would be vindication for the people who have worked hard at the Durban union to get silverware into the Kings Park trophy cabinet.

“It has been five years since we won the Currie Cup. It would be an ideal reward for the people that have been putting in the work to make sure this union stays one of the best brands in SA,” he said.