Ken Borland

The Imperial Lions were outstanding in the field as they hammered the Titans by 18 runs on the DLS method to win the Gauteng derby and move ever closer to the playoffs in the T20 Challenge at Kingsmead.

The win saw the Lions leapfrog the Titans into second place on the log, with a game in hand.

The rain which interrupted the decent Lions innings in the 17^th over on 124 for four saw the Titans target adjusted to 131 in 15 overs.

But the misfiring Titans top-order were blown away by the superb Lions attack, invariably picking the wrong shot at key times.

The mixture of spin and seam saw the Titans slump to 55 for six in the ninth over and it was only the efforts of the tail – Simon Harmer (17), Junior Dala (21) and Lizaad Williams (11*) – that denied the Lions the crucial bonus point as the Titans closed on 112 for eight.

Left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks was the pick of the bowlers with an outstanding two for seven in the three overs he was allowed, while spinner Bjorn Fortuin was again brilliant with two for 21.

Kagiso Rabada was typically tough for the batsmen to get away as he took one for 18.

The Titans, by way of contrast, were a bit messy in the field and Lions opener Reeza Hendricks stroked them all over the park in a wonderful 39 off 28 balls.

It gave the Lions a great start and a composed Rassie van der Dussen looked set to give them a big finish, having cruised to a promising 37 not out off 24 balls, when the rain came down.

Harmer (3-0-19-1), Chris Morris (3-0-10-0) and Lungi Ngidi (3-0-19-1) were good with the ball for the Titans, hard to get away, but the rest of the bowlers were expensive.

The improvement in Sharks rugby has been most apparent on the field as they led SuperRugby before Covid struck and then reached the final of the Currie Cup, only losing in extra time to the Bulls, but those gains are also dependent on the excellent work done behind the scenes by the administrators.

This may be Sean Everitt’s first major coaching gig but he has a wise rugby head and his player management is superb; the team culture he has helped develop at Kings Park has been phenomenal. The Sharks also have an outstanding CEO of vision in Eduard Coetzee and recently-ascended president Brian van Zyl is a seasoned administrator who built much of the union’s success in the professional era during his time as chief executive.

And the reward for all that good administration has been the confidence expressed in the union by new equity partners MVM Holdings, a consortium with deep pockets, once they had been snubbed by Western Province. That investment will certainly allow the Sharks to bolster their playing resources, and they have done so immediately by signing Springbok captain Siya Kolisi.

But the Sharks are well aware that bagloads of money and buying the best players does not necessarily guarantee success; they know that the entire organisation needs a shared vision that they are all working towards.

That new equity investment means there is suddenly budget for some extra things and I was one of the journalists fortunate enough to be flown down to Durban by the Sharks this week to see Kolisi being officially unveiled as a Sharks player.

And seeing first-hand what is going on at Kings Park, it is obvious that something special is happening and these are very exciting times for the Sharks.

Kolisi spoke about how the whole culture and vibe of the Sharks caught his attention a while back and how obvious it was to him that Durban should be his new home once he had decided to end his 11-year stay in Cape Town.

Following his media duties, Kolisi was part of an induction session with all the wide-eyed new intake of academy players at which Coetzee explained the core values of the Sharks. The motto “We are an inclusive culture underpinned by diversity” featured strongly and the spirit of the Sharks team shows they are living the tenets of that ideal.

The inclusion of all cultures is an obvious part of the team dynamic and Kolisi was part of a ceremony based on the tradition of placing your own stone on a cairn of rocks whenever you should pass by one.

Called Isivivane, it signifies the commitment to contribute your best to the new, shared journey you are embarking on.

Kolisi knows all about commitment – having proposed to his wife Rachel on a helicopter flying over Constantia, they have since built a family that has taken in Siya’s two young half-siblings, who were in foster care.

The Sharks environment is also one of caring, with Coetzee taking pride in how well he treats all his players and staff, although there is a constant focus on meeting the standards required of a top rugby franchise.

Everitt himself popped in even though he is technically still on holiday, and was in good cheer despite the recent trauma of the Currie Cup final.

He will not be putting Kolisi under any extra pressure after the fraught 2020 he had with injuries, Covid and the administrative problems in Western Province rugby. The 29-year-old will be given the time and space to get fully fit and ready in body and mind to produce his best on the field. The captaincy will stay with Lukhanyo Am, whose leadership has been a great positive, but there is no doubt Kolisi will be an inspirational presence.

 From the office of the CEO down to the junior staff, there is just a good energy at Kings Park these days. These are exciting times indeed for Sharks rugby.

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.

David Miller is an outdoor kind of guy so being confined to his Lahore hotel room is taking a bit of getting used to, and on the field of play the 31-year-old says the lack of bounce on the Gaddafi Stadium pitch is going to be the main thing the Proteas have to adapt to in their T20 series against Pakistan which starts on Thursday afternoon, 3pm SA time.

South Africa take on Pakistan with only three members of the Test squad involved, so there has needed to be a period of acclimatisation, which Miller said has gone very well.

“I’ve only been to Pakistan before for a very brief time, only three games for a World XI in 2017, but we’ve all quickly realised how the conditions are here – the bounce is a lot lower than what we’re used to. But there are some venues in South Africa where the bounce is pretty low too and we have all travelled enough to adapt. It will be important to assess and adapt very quickly as we go along.

“I’m still getting used to playing in bubbles though, and I think the longer you play in a pandemic situation, the harder it gets. It’s quite restricting and you don’t have that free movement we’re used to, so it is quite challenging. Fortunately this tour is pretty short. We just need to sort ourselves out mentally and find a place we can come together as a team and address whatever issues there are as quickly as possible,” Miller said on Wednesday.

As a team, with just 218 T20 International caps between them and Miller having 78 of those and another 77 being shared between Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi and Reeza Hendricks, the Proteas acknowledge they are the underdogs but the nature of the format and the eagerness of the players being given the opportunity to stake World Cup claims, naturally levels the playing field.

“There’s been a lot of chat about this being a young side with new, inexperienced players, but they are being given a lot of opportunity to step up in a World Cup year, especially the guys who haven’t played before. We’ve prepared extremely well and as a senior player I would like to step up both on and off the field. It’s a really refreshing group and we are here to win and shine as much as we can.

“We respect the Pakistan side, but in T20 if you prepare well and mentally you’re up for the game, if you’re really switched on and stick to your processes, then I don’t see why the underdogs can’t win. We will come under pressure, but that’s a great opportunity to step up, we know we’re representing our country and we want to show the Proteas in the best possible light,” Miller, who has played 320 T20s at domestic, franchise and international level (second only to AB de Villiers’ 325 amongst South Africans), said.