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Sharks Coach Mulls Kolisi’s Future At Number 8

  • October 28, 2024
  • 3 min read
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Sharks Coach Mulls Kolisi’s Future At Number 8

Sharks coach John Plumtree says he will discuss with Siya Kolisi whether he would like to continue playing at number 8.

Kolisi played in this position on Saturday during the team’s win over Irish side Munster Rugby at Kings Park Stadium.

Kolisi, who scored his first try in his second Sharks debut against defending champions Glasgow Warriors last weekend, was selected at number 8 instead of his usual left-flank position.

The win over Munster moved the Durban-based side to ninth in the table with 15 points after five matches. Towards the end of November, they will next face the Stormers, who lost to Glasgow Warriors on Saturday.

“I will have a chat with him to see if he enjoyed it,” said Plumtree. “He looked good, and Pepsi Buthelezi, when he came on, was outstanding as well. So, there’s some nice competition in the loose forward trio, which is great. As I mentioned during the week, Manu (Emmanuel Tshituka) played well last week, so we have some quality loose forwards at the Sharks at the moment.”

Last year’s tournament was a struggle for the Sharks, as they failed to qualify for the knockout stages. However, they are showing improvement this year with three wins from five matches.

This improvement can be attributed to the addition of players like Kolisi, Trevor Nyakane, Jordan Hendrikse, and Andre Esterhuizen during the off-season.

“It’s a completely different playing field compared to last year,” said Plumtree, who returned to the Sharks at the start of last season. “We had a new coach, a new coaching team, a different squad, and many other variables. We also had players returning from the Rugby World Cup who were injured, (like Bongi Mbonambi), and it took a long time for us to field our strongest team.”

However, when the team finally clicked last year, they were able to salvage the season by winning the Challenge Cup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“The competition is tough this year, and the teams are strong. We need to field our strongest possible team to do well. Other teams have been at full strength, while we haven’t. This is something we need to address in the future,” said Plumtree.

True to Plumtree’s point, the Sharks were without their Springbok players for the first half of last season due to the Rugby World Cup, which South Africa won in France. They returned at the start of this year, but the damage to their United Rugby Championship campaign had already been done. This year, the Springbok players returned in the fourth round after winning the Rugby Championship in September.

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Robin-Duke Madlala

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