Sharks coach John Plumtree says Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is enjoying his rugby at the moment after scoring his fourth try for the Durban-based side this season.

As the Sharks ran in five tries, four in the first half, against English side Exeter Chiefs at Kings Park Stadium in their first game of the Investec Champions Cup on Saturday, Kolisi, playing at number 8, scored two tries as the Sharks won 39-21, maintaining their unbeaten home start.

“I like Siya,” admitted Plumtree after the game. 

“He is such an intelligent rugby player and understands the game really well. You want to give him the ball as much as possible so I like him in that sense. 

“I think he is enjoying it there, playing in that position (number 8). If we lose Eben Etzebeth and without those loose forwards Vincent Tshituka and James Venter are out, so Siya’s role becomes massive for us.” 

Kolisi, a global icon, returned to the Sharks at the start of the season after an unsettled spell at Racing 92 in France. He terminated his contract to return to South Africa after one season abroad.

He had joined the French club at the start of last season after leaving the Sharks. However, he faced heavy criticism from the Racing chairman, prompting the Springbok captain’s return.

“It looks like he’s enjoying his rugby here. We’re loving him, and he’s playing very well. Good for him,” added Plumtree.

In four matches for the Sharks this season, three at number 8, Kolisi has won them all, including the three matches with the Boks during the Autumn Nations Series in November.

While the Sharks seemed comfortable in winning this game, they were plagued by ill-discipline. At one point, they were reduced to 12 men after three players—Eduan Keyter, Emile van Heerden, and Springbok lock Etzebeth—were yellow-carded.

It’s clear that their strong start, with four first-half tries, was crucial, as they had to absorb significant pressure later in the game.

“The try they scored before halftime was pretty soft, wasn’t it?” questioned Plumtree. “It was a poor lineout, and we were 10-12 points up at halftime. Then we scored again after the second half started, but the last 20 minutes became a bit of a circus for us. We were down to 12 at one stage, and I thought we managed those last 10 minutes pretty well. We kept them out a couple of times and managed to get a bit of territory, but we’ll have a look at why that happened and why we were in that situation because we don’t want to get into those situations.”