Siya is ready for return to the Cape

THE good news for Sharks fans, and perhaps bad news for the Stormers, is that Siya Kolisi is fighting fit and ready to be unleashed against his former teammates in Friday night’s Rainbow Cup opener at the Cape Town Stadium.

The Springbok captain joined the Sharks a few months back in rusty condition after a series of injuries in 2020 but after an extensive conditioning programme, he made his debut for his new team towards the end of the Preparation Series, and a few weeks on is in great shape, according to coach Sean Everitt.

“Siya had a tough pre-season with us — he hung in, and then when we played him against the Bulls (in the final Preparation Series game) and he made some telling contributions, so we are really looking forward to seeing what he can deliver against the Stormers,” Everitt said.

“All-round, Siya has been amazing for us,” Everitt added. “Without instruction from anyone, he has gone about mentoring the youngsters, and they really look up to him. He is not the captain but in a quiet way he has been showing leadership.”

Everitt said he was unsure what to expect from a Stormers team that played differently in the Preparations Series to the Currie Cup.

“They played more with ball in hand in the Series after having mostly been a set-piece team,” Everitt commented.

“They have their (Springbok) front row depth back but they will also have taken a lot of confidence from their recent attacking game that served them well. So it will be interesting to see whether they go back to their setpiece game of the Currie Cup ...”

The Sharks smashed the Bulls 45-12 in their last game of the Series, scoring seven tries in 25 minutes, despite heavy rain.