TIME TO SHINE
Kolisi keen to impress during upcoming rugby matches
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has admitted that he is among the players who needs to produce a big performance to be part of the British and Irish Lions series, and that sets the scene perfectly for Saturday’s prime PRO14 Rainbow Cup match at Loftus.
The clash between the Vodacom Bulls and the Cell C Sharks is a rematch of last year’s Currie Cup final, which though not thrilling from a quality viewpoint, did produce a dramatic finish and a tight, tense game.
The Sharks have whittled down the advantage that the Bulls had on them in Pretoria and they are confident they can now break their losing sequence.
But there is a different dynamic to the Sharks team now in comparison to the one that played the domestic decider three-anda-half months ago, particularly at loose-forward. Whereas specialist opensider Dylan Richardson was one of the star players for the Sharks then, Kolisi subsequently moved up the coast and fitted himself into the Sharks number six jersey.
It brings a different dynamic to the loose trio and the Sharks approach and is some way away from coach Sean Everitt’s policy last year of always including a ball-scavenging specialist number six in his starting team.
It has affected the way the Sharks defend, with the more aggressive defensive line this week being given as a reason by flyhalf Curwin Bosch for the whopping number of penalties they have conceded since the start of Rainbow Cup.
A tally of 33 across two games is certainly a concern for the Sharks, particularly when playing against a Bulls side that at home is good at dictating the territory battle and has Morne Steyn wearing the number 10.
Bosch said the Durban team focused this week on attaining the right balance between enthusiasm when making tackles and going into the breakdowns and over-enthusiasm.
When you tally this up you might suggest that there is pressure on Kolisi, who has improved with his better conditioning after a mostly disjoined 2020 because of injuries, to make a statement.
In the words of a Durban newspaper columnist this week, he has been solid, but “without shooting the lights out”.
In an interview with Sunday newspaper Rapport, Kolisi admitted that he wasn’t where he needed to be if he wanted to play for the Boks.
“Every game I play now counts.
“If I’m honest, I’m not yet where I need to be.
“If my performances aren’t good enough then I know for a fact that I won’t be chosen,” he said.