DHL Western Province star Siya Kolisi has set himself the goal of getting back to his brilliant best in this year’s Absa Currie Cup tournament.

First Siya Kolisi struggled to scale the heights of the previous two seasons in this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby tournament, and then he failed to crack the nod for South Africa’s squad for the Rugby Championship.

Despite this, you’d struggle to find a player more motivated than him going into this year’s Currie Cup.

“To be back in the starting line-up after spending a lot of time on the bench for the DHL Stormers is great. It will help me regain my confidence,” he says.

Kolisi spent five of the DHL Stormers’ last seven matches on the substitutes’ bench. However, falling slightly down the pecking order helped him demonstrate his impressive character. Rather than sulk, he proved to be a good team man.

“Yes, it was frustrating, but at the same time I knew I hadn’t been playing well. You also have to play the guys who are in form. I was never negative and knew the situation was in the team’s best interests,” he says.

“My confidence was low and the guys ahead of me were doing a really good job.”

Why does he think his form dipped?

“I didn’t start well in the first game against the Lions and then my confidence just went. Suddenly, the things I normally did just didn’t seem to work. My form dipped and I retreated into my shell,” he says.

“I must add that I always had complete support from my teammates and the coaches. They always backed me.”

Schalk Burger’s move to Japan and Duane Vermeulen’s call-up to the Springbok squad has paved the way for Kolisi to enter the Currie Cup with a place in the DHL Western Province starting line-up.

He’ll be wearing the No.6 jersey and is tasked with the role of openside flank. His colleagues in an exciting loose trio are Michael Rhodes, on the blindside, and Nizaam Carr at No.8.

“It’s a very exciting combination,” Kolisi says of the loosies. “Nizaam and I have played together since our younger days and we have to hit our groove straight away. I also know Michael Rhodes well. We complement each other nicely.

“Nizaam is very skilful. You have to give him time on the ball and I can always run support lines off him because he runs great angles. Mikey is the hard guy who gets us over the gainline. I’ll be the grafter cleaning the rucks to try to win the ball back. I’ll also try to do the best I can defensively.”

While he burst on to the scene as a ball-carrier, Kolisi is no stranger to the graft of playing No.6 flank. It’s the position from which he launched himself to international prominence after Schalk Burger was injured in the DHL Stormers’ first game of their 2012 Super Rugby campaign.

“It won’t take time to adapt. I’ll get straight back into the swing of things,” he says. “I can focus on playing openside flank and I know that my game will improve if I put the team’s interests above my own.”

For Kolisi, it was disappointing to miss out on selection for the latest Bok squad, but not entirely unexpected.

“More than anything, I’m disappointed in myself,” he says. “It’s up to you as a player and I feel I didn’t do enough to be there. I understand why I haven’t made it and I want to push myself to get back there.”

To that end, this year’s Absa Currie Cup campaign will be of vital importance. “The Currie Cup is where it all started for me. I owe it to myself and the people who have supported me to get back to my best. I’ve worked hard to get into shape and build my confidence,” he says.

Kolisi and his teammates are hoping to deliver a second consecutive home final for DHL WP, and to win it this time. Last year was the union’s first Absa Currie Cup Final at DHL Newlands since 2001, and they lost their crown to the Sharks after winning it in the Durban side’s backyard in 2012.

“The Currie Cup means so much to us. We’d really like to win it at home. It’s going to be another tough competition because SA teams go hard against one another.”

Kolisi reckons DHL WP have the team to deliver on their goals. The likes of flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis and outside centre Juan de Jongh provide level heads at the back, while there has been an injection of pace through wing Seabelo Senatla. Not to mention the loose trio and a solid tight five.

“We have exciting backs and someone like Demetri who can control a game, so we are versatile,” says Kolisi. “We have to dominate first and create opportunities for our backs to showcase their skills.”

Kolisi regards starting well as particularly important after the DHL Stormers failed to recover from a poor start to their campaign.

“We have to sustain our effort over 80 minutes. We can’t show glimpses of great rugby and then lose concentration,’ he says.

There is the added incentive of delivering for the DHL Newlands Faithful, who came out in numbers in spite of the DHL Stormers’ disappointing campaign.

“The fans backed us through the good and bad times, so we want to do it for them,” he says. “We’ve worked hard to try to get back to the kind of form we know we’re capable of. Hopefully we can give something back to them. They deserve it.”

Ukugqama ebunzimeni bukaKolisi

Ukuyaphezulu kuka Siya Kolisi kwenzwe kukuzinza nokukwazi ukuphakama ajongane nemeko ezinzima.

Uk’sukela ebuntwaneni bakhe elokishini yase Bhayi eZwide ukuyotsho kwitsuku zakhe nje ngomnye wabadlali abagqamileyo eGrey High School, uSiya akavumelanga nanye into ime phambi kwemphumelelo yakhe.

Ayothusanga khe into yoba aphakame estulweni ngo2012 xa bekudlala iStormers kwiSuper Rugby wabethelela igama lakhe eNewlands ngedlela adlala ngayo ebaleni.

Kungekudala uyewayinkwenkwezi eNewlands wabizelwa phezulu kwiSpringboks xa bebedlala neScotland eNelspruit nalapho waphakama estulweni wayoba ngoyena mdlali ogqamileyo.

Ukuthandwa kwake ke akuphelelanga eNewlands qha kodwa uthandwe nguwo wonke umlandeli wombhoxo eMzantsi Afrika.

Akaqalike ukudana uSiya emva koba engakhethwanga kwiqela leSpringboks elizo dlala kwiRugby Championship, uzokhe ahlale phantsi akhokhe amandla abuyele kwiSpringboks ekupheleni konyaka.
iCurrie Cup yakulonyaka izoba lithuba likaSiya ukuzibonakalisa ukuba usenguye lamdlali wodidi owaye thandwe eNewlands nakwilizwe lonke.

DHL Western Province Matchday Magazine