Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is not one to mince words, especially not when it comes to calling out his own team, the Sharks, on their less-than-stellar performance this season. With the team currently slouching at a dismal 14th place in the Vodacom URC log after six rounds, Kolisi’s critique was unsparing yet laced with a personal accountability that's hard to ignore.
During a candid chat with Rugby365, Kolisi revealed his plans to take a brief hiatus to recharge and spend quality time with his family in Cape Town, before rejoining the fray with, hopefully, a reinvigorated spirit. "I'm going back to Cape Town to visit my kids," he admitted, before adding, "We need to go back with the same mentality and the same attitude to our unions. But I want to make sure that I take next week off completely and then go back, because we have some big games."
"Honestly, with the squad we have at the Sharks, 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."
Kolisi didn’t just stop at criticizing the team's overall performance; he took a hard look at his own contributions—or lack thereof. "There are players who are playing well and trying. But to be honest, all of us as a group, with the number of Springboks that we have, that’s not the standard we should be setting," he reflected. The captain underscored his own recent shortcomings, "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."
The Sharks are staring down the barrel of a particularly challenging set of fixtures in the coming weeks. After their trip to Toulouse for Sunday’s Champions Cup clash—a game Kolisi will miss—they host the formidable English club Saracens, followed by a vital URC derby against the Bulls in Durban, and another tough encounter against the Lions on January 3.
With such a packed and pivotal schedule, the Sharks and their captain are undoubtedly under pressure to turn their season around. The question now is: can they channel Kolisi's frank critique into a fiery comeback? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, fans and critics alike will be watching closely, eager to see if the Sharks can indeed rediscover their bite.
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Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is not one to mince words, especially not when it comes to calling out his own team, the Sharks, on their less-than-stellar performance this season. With the team currently slouching at a dismal 14th place in the Vodacom URC log after six rounds, Kolisi’s critique was unsparing yet laced with a personal accountability that's hard to ignore.
During a candid chat with Rugby365, Kolisi revealed his plans to take a brief hiatus to recharge and spend quality time with his family in Cape Town, before rejoining the fray with, hopefully, a reinvigorated spirit. "I'm going back to Cape Town to visit my kids," he admitted, before adding, "We need to go back with the same mentality and the same attitude to our unions. But I want to make sure that I take next week off completely and then go back, because we have some big games."
"Honestly, with the squad we have at the Sharks, 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."
Kolisi didn’t just stop at criticizing the team's overall performance; he took a hard look at his own contributions—or lack thereof. "There are players who are playing well and trying. But to be honest, all of us as a group, with the number of Springboks that we have, that’s not the standard we should be setting," he reflected. The captain underscored his own recent shortcomings, "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."
The Sharks are staring down the barrel of a particularly challenging set of fixtures in the coming weeks. After their trip to Toulouse for Sunday’s Champions Cup clash—a game Kolisi will miss—they host the formidable English club Saracens, followed by a vital URC derby against the Bulls in Durban, and another tough encounter against the Lions on January 3.
With such a packed and pivotal schedule, the Sharks and their captain are undoubtedly under pressure to turn their season around. The question now is: can they channel Kolisi's frank critique into a fiery comeback? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, fans and critics alike will be watching closely, eager to see if the Sharks can indeed rediscover their bite.