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The subtle transformation in Siya Kolisi's game over The Rugby Championship

Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Siyamthanda Kolisi produced arguably the most influential performance of his Springbok career in South Africa’s 24-8 demolition of the Wallabies in Sydney this past weekend.

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Apart from his Man of the Match performance, there was a not-so-subtle change in his style – something that has been coming along throughout the Rugby Championship, but finally emerged in all its glory in Round Four.

Kolisi has, for years, been denounced for his playing style – performing the role of a ‘wing forward’.

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Despite wearing the No.6 jersey, he often roamed in the open field as a ball-carrier – getting possession in the tramlines near touch and speeding towards the tryline.

It did not go down well with a large collection of Bok fans, who prefer their loose forwards to be hard-grafting players in the trenches.

However, in the current edition of the Rugby Championship, a distinctly alternative style of play emerged from the Bok skipper.

Not only was he more active on defence – with his tackle count often into double digits – but Kolisi also got stuck in at the breakdown.

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The results were not immediately evident, but the 31-year-old’s transformation was glaring in Sydney.

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He played like a traditional openside flank – No.6 in South Africa and No.7 in the rest of the world.

In the Boks’ bonus-point win, at the Sydney Football Stadium, the 69-times capped loose forward delivered in all aspects.

He had seven carries for 21 metres.

That, in itself, is not something that would have silenced his critics, until you see that he also beat three defenders and had a sublime offload.

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Now add in his eight tackles, with only one missed tackle, and his work at the breakdown – three crucial turnovers won.

Those turnovers – in a team that has master poachers like Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitshoff – tell you exactly how much Kolisi’s game has evolved.

While not many would have picked up on the transition in the earlier rounds of the Rugby Championship, the numbers tell a story of their own.

In the first three rounds, Kolisi had 11 carries for 33 metres, beat two defenders, made 32 tackles and won two turnovers.

While it is unlikely his detractors will all be won over by one game, the Bok captain has come a long way since his Test debut against Scotland as a 21-year-old a decade ago.

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finn 834 days ago

I don't understand! Who was denouncing him for playing a wide role?

Do South Africans want all their forwards to always be right in the middle of the pitch? How would they get quick ruck ball in wide channels if that was he case?

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Tom 5 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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