Nkosi is intent on taking Cup

It’s been a busy year for S’bu Nkosi (above), with him making his Springbok debut against England and announcing himself with two tries and then having to recover from a troublesome foot/ankle injury, but one gets the feeling Currie Cup final has been written in capital letters on the Sharks wing’s calendar for a long time.

Nkosi missed last year’s Currie Cup final, also against Western Province, after dislocating an elbow in the semifinal win over the Blue Bulls, which explains his single-minded focus this week.

“We’ve made the final, as planned, and if just playing in the final is not enough motivation for you, then you’re not where you’re supposed to be as a player.

“We are determined to fly back from Cape Town with the cup with us,” he said.

“It’s been five years since we won it and it would be a good reward for all the work that has been put in, especially by the behind-the-scenes staff.

“But we’re doing nothing out of the ordinary this week. The atmosphere is still quite electric, but that’s no different to usual.

“This is a different year and a different final to last year; we are a different team and there’s nothing in last year’s final for us to look at. We’re in a different space now,” Nkosi said at Kings Park.

While Nkosi is a proven try scorer, he knows there is not much facility for open rugby in a Currie Cup final and he’ll be following coach Robert du Preez’s mantra of “patience”.