Kolisi to depart Sharks

BREAKING NEWS: The Sharks revealed that Springbok and World Cup-winning captain Siyamthanda Kolisi has been granted an early release from his contract.

Kolisi will join the French club Racing 92 after the World Cup.

The Bok skipper joined the Sharks in 2021, and he has quickly become an integral member of the team.

He has naturally served in a key leadership role and was recently appointed as the Sharks' captain for the Champions Cup tournament.

He will leave with the full blessing of the Sharks when he bids the team farewell after this year's World Cup.

The Sharks CEO, Eduard Coetzee, said they looked forward to Kolisi’s continued contributions to the team for the remainder of the season before wishing him well in the next phase of his career.

"Siyamthanda has been an instrumental and much-loved member of the Sharks family since his arrival two years ago," Coetzee said.

"His well-documented and commendable leadership qualities extend far beyond the playing field and this is none more so evident than his involvement with the launch of the Players First programme, as well as his commitment to the expansion of the Sharks brand to a global market.

"His move to France is a new and exciting opportunity and we could not be happier for him.

"We are blessed to have him don the black and white jersey and we know that over the next few months, he will continue to give back to the team and our fans."

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This multi-year signing is part of a broader long-term collaboration between the Sharks and Racing 92, with the two clubs having come to an amicable agreement, while they also look forward to continuing to build a mutually beneficial relationship in the future.

The collaboration will involve quarterly meetings of owners and management, and an exchange of ideas about player sharing, coaching expertise and branding.

Racing 92 will become part of the global network of relationships being established by the Sharks as it seeks to expand the brand in Europe and the North American market in the years leading up to the 2031 World Cup.

Kolisi thanked the team for enabling him to take up this new challenge from the 2023-24 season onwards.

"It has been an incredible collaborative effort between the Sharks and Racing 92 that has enabled me to start a new chapter in my career after the 2023 World Cup," Kolisi said.

"I want to give a massive thanks to the Sharks for welcoming me with open arms in 2021, and for making me feel so at home in Durban, while their support over the last couple of years has been hugely influential during a key period in my career.

"I am immensely appreciative that the Sharks have given me their blessing to make this move, and it goes without saying that I will continue to give my all for the team over the next few months."

Looking ahead Coetzee added: "Over the last two years, our focus has been on building strong depth in our squad, and we look forward to our upcoming games and watching the Sharks team play to their full potential."