It’s a big blow achieved by Racing 92! The Hauts-de-Seine club has attracted Siya Kolisi, the captain of the Springboks, world champions in Japan in 2019. The South African third line announced it on Tuesday in a press release posted on Twitter. He will join Ciel et Blanc after the next World Cup in France (September 8-October 28, 2023).
“Few athletes have the chance to write the chapters of their own history and I see this new challenge in France as an opportunity to do so”, explains Kolisi, 31, while welcoming the cooperation between his South African team Durban Sharks and Racing 92 “which allowed me to start a new chapter after the 2023 World Cup”.
“My departure to Racing 92 will allow me to spend more time with my family, which is something I really want, and this prospect certainly played an important role in my decision-making”, specifies the first black captain. of Springbok history.
“I am enthusiastic about the idea of joining Racing 92. It is a visionary club that I have always greatly admired (…) I am fully aware of the great ambitions of Racing 92 on the ground”, adds Kolisi, which specifies that “the philanthropic projects” carried out by the sky and white club are in line with its personal values. The South African also intends to continue to work from France, with his wife Rachel, for the Kolisi Foundation, which carries out charitable projects in South Africa.
At Racing 92, Siya Kolisi will find other South African world champions, pillar Trevor Nyakane and rear Warrick Gelant. He will also have the pleasure of joining his friend Yannick Nyanga, coach of the Espoirs, with whom he has been close since they faced each other on the rugby pitches.
“The signing of Siya Kolisi reinforces the ambitions of Racing 92 and will offer our supporters a high-level show at Paris La Défense Arena. His deep culture of victory and his natural leadership make him a very great player who is coupled with a deeply humanist man, “said Jacky Lorenzetti, the club’s president.
