Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi has revealed that his move from French club, Racing 92 back to the Hollywoodbets Sharks was influenced by more than just his feelings, as the workload of playing for a foreign country and South Africa started to take a toll on his body. 

Kolisi, after months at the negotiating table, had his Racing 92 contract terminated on Sunday, and on Monday, was announced as a Sharks player for the second time in his career. 

He will rejoin fellow Springbok teammates Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Ox Nche, Jaden Hendrikse, Grant Williams, Trevor Nyakane, Lukhanyo Am, and Aphelele Fassi at the Durban outfit. 

Speaking to the media after being unveiled as an ambassador for Engen Garage in Cape Town, Kolisi said he had a good experience in France, but he’s happy to be back playing at home. 

“It’s good to be back in South Africa,” he said. 

“I had a great experience in France, it’s different to South Africa. It’s tough in a certain way because South Africa is South Africa, and it’s special.

“When I used to play, I used to wake up after matches and go to Kwa Langa to go get some meat with Scarra (Ntubeni) because that was our recovery.” 

The skipper made the move to France after last year’s World Cup triumph. His stint at Racing wasn’t the best, leading to a fallout with the owner, Jackie Lorenzetti, who made claims of Kolisi being “fat and not transparent.” 

To add to that, the two seasons in South Africa and France always clash, with the other starting sooner than the other meaning Kolisi would miss crucial matches on either side of the scale. 

 He revealed that the schedule started to take a toll on his body. “There are two different seasons – when the domestic season stops in France, I get into the Boks, so I never get to have a break and when it starts in France, I miss a couple of games because I’m playing for South Africa,” said Kolisi. 

“It’s not fair on the club, not fair on my body, and there’s no way I was going to be able to keep up and that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to come back – and I miss home.

“I’m big on purpose, I work with the foundation, and I like to see what I’m working towards every single day.” 

The two-time World Cup-winning skipper has not been included in Rassie Erasmus’s 28-player squad set to tour Argentina for round five of the Rugby Championship.