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Springbok captain Siya Kolisi released from Stormers contract to complete switch of clubs

By Finn Morton
Siya Kolisi (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

2019 Rugby World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi will leave the Stormers and Western Province Rugby after an 11-year stint.

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In a statement released this weekend, it was revealed that Western Province “did everything possible” to keep the Springboks captain from leaving, but instead he decided to part from his contract early.

Kolisi began his professional career with the union, going on to have a decorated career with the Stormers. He’ll finish his time in Cape Town as the franchises’ second-most capped player of all time, second only to Schalk Burger (123 caps).

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After leading the Super Rugby side in the 2017 and 2018 campaigns, he was named as the permanent captain of the national side.

Kolisi would go on to lead South Africa to their third World Cup crown in Japan’s 2019 iteration of the tournament, which ended with a dominant win over England in Yokohama.

As part of the statement released by the Stormers, Kolisi expressed his gratitude to the Province, and the fans who supported him along the way.

“I would like to thank everyone at Western Province Rugby for what has been an incredible time in my life in which I have grown as a rugby player and a person,” Kolisi said in a statement.

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“All of the coaches, management and teammates who had such a big influence on me over the last 11 years and especially the DHL Stormers Faithful and people of Cape Town and beyond who made my time with the union so special. It has been a privilege to experience their support.”

Stormers head coach John Dobson described Kolisi as being a “Stormers legend” in the same statement, as he thanked the star flanker for his contributions to the side.

“Siya Kolisi will always be a DHL Stormers legend, his story is well-known throughout the world and everyone here is grateful to have played a role in that,” he said.

“We would have loved for him to stay and finish his career where it started, but we wish him all the best.

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“We have always done our best to retain the world-class talent we have at the union before looking elsewhere and we are looking forward to announcing some significant contract extension with some of our experienced players in the near future.”

It’s long been rumoured that Kolisi is set to sign with the Durban based Super Rugby side, the Sharks.

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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