VIDEO: Kolisi slams Sharks’ slide: 'It’s really embarrassing'
CARDIFF, WALES: Springbok captain Siya Kolisi says the Sharks can no longer hide behind excuses for their poor United Rugby Championship campaign, and the players need to take responsibility and lift their standards.
The Durban side is on a downward trajectory despite being stacked with Springboks. They sit 13th on the United Rugby Championship table, are navigating a coaching upheaval, and face a brutal run of fixtures ahead.
Supporters have demanded change for years, and John Plumtree’s departure as head coach “by mutual agreement” at season’s end feels like only the first step in what could be a long rebuild.
The Sharks have under-delivered for two straight seasons and look no closer to fulfilling their potential in Plumtree’s third year at the helm.
The Springbok team has shown immense resilience and the ability to dig deep on their end-of-year tour, winning two tough games with 14 players and having to make plans on the fly, but still managing to grind out big wins.
Rugby365 asked the Bok captain what his plans were for the next week and if he would be taking those lessons learnt on tour back to the Sharks, who are in dire need of help.
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“I’m going back to Cape Town, I am going to visit the kids.
“And then, yes, definitely. We need to go back with the same mentality and the same attitude to our unions,” he stated.
“But I want to make sure that I take next week off completely and then go back, because we have some big games.
“And honestly, with the squad we have, we shouldn’t be where we are. It’s really embarrassing for me as a player to be honest.
“You can blame coaches all you want. Coaches can just do so much.
“There are players who are playing well and trying. But to be honest, all of us as a group, with the amount of Springboks that we [Sharks] have, that’s not the standard that we should be setting.
“And I put myself first, I haven’t been the best in the past two games that I played there. So, I hope to take all of this back and bring it forward, showing who we are.
“Because at the end of the day, we are Springboks, no matter where we go. And we have to play that way.
“So, hopefully we can bring better energy than we did in the past two games.”
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