“Mystical” Springboks captain Siya Kolisi compares himself to Dan Carter and Ayrton Senna.
Racing 92 owner Jacky Lorenzetti expects Springboks captain Siya Kolisi to have a significant impact at the club.
Having finally arrived in the French city, the 32-year-old is one of the marquee recruits for the French team for the 2023–2024 campaign and will hope to play a significant part in the Parisians’ pursuit for silverware.
Since their promotion in 2009, they have consistently finished in the Top 14 and have never finished outside the top six.
Lack of silverware
It is a remarkable record but one which has only yielded a single league title – in 2016 – during that period.
In fact, Racing have never finished at the top of the table and have just two second-placed finishes, which means they have mainly ended the round-robin phase between third and sixth.
That makes it more difficult for them when it comes to the end-of-season shake-up, with the top two teams
earning a straight-up spot in the semifinals.
Lorenzetti will undoubtedly be hoping that run will change with Kolisi in the lineup; he has captained the last two Springbok sides to win the Rugby World Cup.
The owner of Racing believes that his capacity for motivation and leadership might consequently have a “unifying” influence on the team.
Siya, he exudes energy. He is a really remarkable person. He seems like a tractor to me, one that can rally the entire team behind him,” he said to Midi Olympique.
“Kolisi has a style that is similar to Dan Carter’s, but a little more fleshed out and human.
“From what I know about the guy, it doesn’t surprise me that he has political aspirations beyond rugby.
“He is the most unified person I have ever met. A few years ago, he even founded an organization to support South African township children.”
“I loved a driver named Ayrton Senna; he was a driving genius, but he also had a mystical dimension that I found in Siya Kolisi,” the young motorsport enthusiast said.
New start for Kolisi
Racing will be Kolisi’s first overseas club, having spent eight years at the Stormers and a further two at the Sharks.
The Springboks flanker stated, “I’ve been able to start a new chapter in my career after the 2023 World Cup thanks to the Sharks and Racing 92’s incredible collaborative effort.”
“I would want to express my sincere gratitude to the Sharks for their warm welcome in 2021 and for helping me feel so at home in Durban. Their assistance over the past few years has been extremely helpful to me at a crucial juncture in my career.
“It goes without saying that I will continue to give my all for the team over the next few months, and I am incredibly grateful that the Sharks have given me permission to make this move.”
