Siya Kolisi

Siya Kolisi
Personal information
Full nameSiyamthanda Kolisi
Born16 June 1991
Zwide, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight105 kg (16 st 7 lb)[1]
School(s) attendedGrey High School
Club information
Playing positionLoose forward
Current clubWestern Province / Stormers
Youth career
2007–09Eastern Province Kings
2010–12Western Province
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Pts)†
2011–Western Province29(35)
2012–Stormers51(25)
Representative team(s)‡
2010–11South Africa U208(10)
2013–South Africa10(0)
* Senior club appearances and points correct as of 18 April 2015.

† Appearances (Points).

‡ Representative team caps and points correct as of 24 November 2013.

Siyamthanda 'Siya' Kolisi (born 16 June 1991) is a South African rugby union footballer who plays for Western Province[2] in the Currie Cup and the Stormers in Super Rugby.[3] He has the ability to play in any position in the back-row but has thus far mostly featured as a flank.[1][4]

Early life

Kolisi grew up in the impoverished Zwide township outside Port Elizabeth and endured a tough upbringing. At the age of 12 he impressed scouts at a youth tournament in Mossel Bay and was offered a scholorship at Grey Junior in PE. He subsequently moved up to Grey High School, where he was a member of the first XV rugby team. He was also a part of the Eastern Province Kings youth set-up between 2007 and 2009, playing in the Under-16 Grant Khomo week and the Under-18 Craven Week before shifting west to join Western Province.[5][6]

Career

Kolisi made his senior debut for Western Province against the Golden Lions during the 2011 Vodacom Cup and later in the year several injuries and international call-ups gave him the opportunity to make regular starts in the Currie Cup. He made 13 appearances and scored 4 tries during the campaign including a crucial score against bitter rivals the Blue Bulls.[2][4]

2012 saw him graduate to the Stormers squad and he made an immediate impact with 16 appearances during the season and 1 try. The second half of the year was not so kind to him as a thumb injury restricted him to just one appearance in the 2012 Currie Cup and he had to watch on from the sidelines as Province lifted their 33rd Currie Cup title.[7]

He was back with a bang the following year and held his place in the Stormers side despite fierce competition among the loose forwards. 13 appearances and 2 tries were recorded and this earned him his first international recognition. Being part of the Springbok set-up for the 2013 Rugby Championship meant he only played in Western Province's final 3 matches of the 2013 Currie Cup and he was powerless to prevent them from slipping to a surprise 33–19 home defeat to the Natal Sharks in the final of the competition.[4]

International

Kolisi was a member of the South Africa under 20 side that competed in both the 2010 and 2011 IRB Junior World Championships.[8]

He made his Springbok debut on 15 June 2013 against Scotland at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. He replaced the injured Arno Botha in the 5th minute and was named as Man of the Match as his side won 30–17.[9] 9 further substitute appearances followed during the 2013 international season as he firmly established himself as a regular member of the national squad.[1]

Statistics

Test match record

Against Pld W D L Tri Con Pen DG Pts %Won
 Argentina 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100
 Australia 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100
 France 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100
 New Zealand 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
 Samoa 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100
 Scotland 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100
 Wales 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100
Total 10 8 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 80

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Con = Conversions, Pen = Penalties, DG = Drop Goals, Pts = Points Scored

Super Rugby Statistics

As of 22 December 2014
Season Team Games Starts Sub Mins Tries Cons Pens Drops Points Yel Red
2012 Stormers 16 15 1 1165 1 0 0 0 5 0 0
2013 Stormers 13 13 0 956 2 0 0 0 10 0 0
2014 Stormers 15 9 6 733 1 0 0 0 5 0 0
Total 44 37 7 2854 4 0 0 0 20 0 0

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Siya Kolisi SA Rugby Player Profile". SA Rugby. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Siya Kolisi WP Rugby Player Profile". WP Rugby. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "Siya Kolisi Stormers Player Profile". Stormers. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Siya Kolisi itsrugby.co.uk Player Statistics". itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Kolisi's living the dream". SA Rugby Mag. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "Kolisi – a Green & Gold, father & son reunion". Supersport. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  7. ↑ "WP's Kolisi out for the season". Sport 24. 26 August 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Siya Kolisi IRB JWC Player Profile". IRB. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "South Africa vs Scotland 15 June 2013 Match Breakdown". SA Rugby. Retrieved 10 December 2013.

External links

Powers, Angus (14 February 2014). "African Bomber: The True Story of Siya Kolisi" (PDF). Union Sports Mag. Retrieved 15 February 2014.