Revealed: The reason behind Kolisi’s withdrawal from Sharks game

The Sharks had to make a last-minute adjustment to their starting lineup for Saturday’s URC derby against the Bulls following captain Siya Kolisi’s unexpected withdrawal.

Kolisi was initially named as captain in the Sharks’ starting lineup for their highly anticipated derby against the Bulls at Kings Park on Saturday afternoon.

But in a sudden twist, it was Kolisi’s Springbok teammate Andre Esterhuizen who walked out to the coin toss between the two captains and the ref before the game. This raised suspicions that Kolisi might well sit out the derby showdown.

This sparked rumours that Kolisi’s sudden absence from this all-important encounter was due to a report earlier in the day that he is set to jump ship from the Sharks in favour of a sensational move to the Stormers just three months after officially signing for the Durban-based side.

If the move were to materialise, Kolisi would leave the Sharks and link-up his the Stormers at the end of the season.

The Sharks were initially mum when asked why Kolisi was not playing, but it was confirmed after the game that he had suffered a calf strain.

John Dobson squashed the rumours in his post-game press conference, where he revealed that Kolisi sustained a calf injury in training on Thursday afternoon.