Ken Borland

Johnny Grave is the CEO of Cricket West Indies so it is perhaps fitting that Cricket South Africa will on Thursday confirm that their tour to the Caribbean starting next month has been resurrected. And now that the threats to suspend the Proteas from international cricket have died down, a full tour by India at the end of the year is also likely to be announced soon.

South Africa were originally scheduled to tour the West Indies in July and August last year, but that trip was flushed down the toilet by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the Proteas are set to return to the Caribbean for the first time since 2010 and will play two Tests and five T20s, all on the tropical island of Trinidad.

CSA Director of Cricket Graeme Smith is holding a media “engagement” on Thursday in which he will provide an update on upcoming international tours. The fixtures for the Caribbean trip will surely be a part of that.

But what Smith probably won’t mention is how well talks have been going with India and specifically the BCCI president Saurav Ganguly. There is certainly a rapport between the two former international captains and releasing all the Proteas involved in the IPL from the last ODI and the T20 series against Pakistan now seems to have been an excellent decision because India look set to undertake a full tour of South Africa next summer.

Starting in December, India will play Tests, ODIs and T20s against the Proteas, which will not only provide a welcome boost to CSA’s finances but also provide massive entertainment.

South Africa are also scheduled to tour India for a T20 series in September as part of the T20 World Cup preparations, but there has been speculation that the currently suspended IPL could be moved into that window. Whether that happens or not will be an excellent test of how strong the relationship between Smith and Ganguly is.

The Proteas’ other confirmed fixtures are three ODIs and three T20s in Ireland in July as part of the World Cup Super League.

SuperSport are all about the product out on the park, which is why they were delighted to hand a controlling stake in the Sharks to MVM Holdings, according to the broadcaster’s CEO Marc Jury.

SuperSport International and the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union were the majority shareholders in the Sharks franchise but last month they agreed to sell a 51% stake to the U.S. investment consortium headed by Marco Masotti. It has been the most high-profile equity deal thus far in South African rugby and Jury told The Citizen there were no qualms about handing over control of the Sharks because it provides a wonderful opportunity for all concerned.

“Private equity can provide some fantastic opportunities but it’s not just about who you partner with but also what their intentions are. And MVM Holdings have some wonderful ideas that will take the franchise to the next level and allow us to show the best rugby possible. Any investment in the game has to be a positive and this deal will allow the Sharks to retain some great talent.

“That’s what we as SuperSport want as well, to keep the best players here. We just want to show the best possible product which is why we have invested such large amounts in local rugby and forged a very close relationship with the mother body. We have invested heavily in the Sharks for a long time but we feel this partnership can help South African rugby,” Jury said.

Jury acknowledged that it has been a difficult time for all involved in SA Rugby competitions. Playing in the heat and humidity of mid-summer was a new challenge and testing protocols played havoc with the usual training week of the teams.

“These have been tough times and we have to remember that Covid will pass. We have stayed very close to SA Rugby through the whole period and playing in a bubble and not being able to prepare properly has not been good for the players mentally. There have also been no crowds and a great degree of anxiety, so there have not been the ingredients for the players to produce their best rugby.

“I think the teams did the best they could with a very difficult situation. But everyone is just hoping for some normality soon and the thing people miss the most is the whole experience of coming together and watching their favourite team. Hopefully they have missed it so much that when normality does return they will watch the rugby more than ever,” Jury said.

Eduard Coetzee, the Sharks CEO, might rate Siya Kolisi as the best captain in world rugby, but he confirmed on Wednesday that Lukhanyo Am will retain the captaincy of the franchise team.

Am has been integral to the rise of the Sharks over the last year and is the sort of follow-my-example captain that is much-loved by the KwaZulu-Natal outfit and their fans, following in the footsteps of inspirational skippers like Gary Teichmann, John Smit, Wahl Baartman and Craig Jamieson, who were also men of few words.

While there is no doubting the pedigree and qualities of Kolisi, who led the Springboks to World Cup glory in 2019, the decision is a wise one by the Sharks because it avoids adding another complication to the life of the 29-year-old who seems utterly focused on regaining his best form following a miserable 2020 ruined by injury, Covid and the problems within Westen Province rugby.

“As a leader, Siya chooses himself, we know he’s the best leader in world rugby and he led the country to the World Cup. So yes, it would be easy to make him captain. But we don’t want to do that at the moment, we want to make an environment here that he can thrive in and put the least amount of pressure on him as necessary. And Lukhanyo has done an unbelievable job as captain so that makes the decision much easier.

“We love to treat our players well because that’s the way you get results. To add more pressure by making Siya captain is not going to help him. They get on well, by the way, and Lukhanyo has been in my ear as well about when Siya is coming here. Leaders earn the right to lead, they appoint themselves and both Siya and Lukhanyo have the qualities to be very successful captains,” Coetzee said at Kings Park on Wednesday when Kolisi was officially unveiled as a Sharks player.

Kolisi pointed to his ball-carrying ability as being an area where he can add to the growth of a Sharks game that he said he already very much admires, having been on the receiving end of it when they beat Western Province at Newlands in the Currie Cup semi-finals.

“The Sharks team is really strong, they have a good kicking game, they’re disciplined and they have the boot of Curwin Bosch. But I love their style when they do move the ball around, they have a strong attacking game. I am an openside flank but I don’t really fetch, although I do want to contribute to that aspect of the game.

“But with ball-in-hand, along with the other strong carriers, that’s where I hope I can add to the team. And I’m willing to do the hard work, clearing the rucks and that, too; I’m not scared to do the graft that is not seen,” Kolisi said.

SIYA Kolisi might enjoy a big profile off the field, but Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee insisted on Wednesday that they have signed the Springbok captain on a three-year deal because of what a big asset the World Cup winning loose forward will be on the field.

The uncharitable have suggested Kolisi’s move from Western Province to Durban has more to do with building publicity for the massive equity stake invested in the Sharks by MVM Holdings, of which Roc Nation, Kolisi’s publicists, have a stake. But Coetzee said it was Kolisi the player they were interested in.

“It’s an unbelievable day for Sharks rugby, we started building something special here two years ago and today, announcing Siya is joining us, is an important step in the right direction. Negotiations did not take that long because when a player of his standing comes on the market you’ve got to move quickly. Siya ticks all the boxes – he is an amazing human being, the best captain in world rugby and an unbelievable player.

“We didn’t sign him here because of Roc Nation, although from a business strategy point of view it does make sense. They are his commercial agents, they’re not dealing with hm as a rugby player. Siya would still be sitting here today even if he was not with Roc Nation. We were waiting patiently for him to come on the market and when he did not accept the Western Province offer, it took just a matter of weeks for us to agree terms,” Coetzee said at Kings Park on Wednesday.

Kolisi, who is undeniably a hugely inspirational figure in South African society, said his focus in Durban will be very much on fighting his way back into top form, into the Sharks team and then ensuring that he keeps his place in the Springbok side.

“It feels like my first day in school, I’m starting fresh and I know I have to fight again, I have the same feeling as when I was a young man in Cape Town knowing I had to perform. I really hope to play my part on the field, and off the field as well. But there are amazing loose forwards here and what has happened before doesn’t matter. But I want to fight for my position and my main focus is rugby, to get fit and ready to play,” Kolisi said.

“My work off the field is very important to me. But it’s rugby that opens the doors so I know I have to do well on the field for that to happen. Last year was really tough for me with all the injuries and Covid affecting my family, and the stats show that, but I am the biggest critic of myself. Rassie Erasmus said I must just make sure the main thing stays the main thing and I’m going to make sure I work as hard as I can here.”

The 29-year-old Kolisi said he knows many of the current Sharks players and they and former Natal stars had been in contact with him, welcoming him into the camp.

“I know a lot of the guys, they seem excited to have me here and with the culture and the vibe they have going, I just knew it would be the best place. And I’ve had a lot of past players phone me like John Smit, The Beast [Tendai Mtawarira] and JP Pietersen, everyone has been very welcoming. Change is good for everyone.

“I don’t wake up in the morning thinking I want to be Springbok captain, I wake up thinking I want to be a Springbok and be in that team, it’s why I do what I do, why I love the game. So I have to make sure I’m performing; after injuries and the impact of Covid, as a player I am starting fresh again. I’ve got that feeling back that I want to impress my team-mates and get their respect,” Kolisi said.