Springboks captain Siya Kolisi revealed he is loving playing number eight for the Sharks and is thriving with extra involvement in the game.

Kolisi who usually packs down on the openside of the scrum has been playing at number eight for the Sharks in their attempt to maximise their impressive depth in the back-row.

The shift has seen the great captain with a lot more ball in hand and he was electric against Exeter Chiefs in the Sharks 39-21 win in Durban scoring two tries on the day.

Credit to Exeter

Ever humble Kolisi gave credit to Exeter Chiefs and admitted the Sharks needed to dig deep after a strong start from the visitors.

“It was a tough game, credit to Exeter. The way they started the game – we thought it was going to go the other way. I think they’re one of the most physical sides from England,” the man of the match said in the post-match interview.

“But we stuck to our guns and fought back and we got a loose ball and were able to score from that so I’m glad of how we kept our composure.”

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Where he got spotted

When asked about the positional switch, Kolisi was quick to reveal that number eight was the role he had caught the eye of Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus as a schoolboy all those years ago.

“I’m loving it – that’s where I started playing rugby, at 8th man. That’s where coach Rassie (Erasmus) spotted me when I was at school so it’s really good to get back to it. I’m getting the ball in my hands more… I’m more involved in the game and I’m enjoying it.”

The Sharks are off to a winning start in the Champions Cup but Kolisi knows it’s a long season and underlined how important a home play-off is.

“We know it’s going to be hard. The Investec Champions Cup is so difficult – you have to win all the games to put yourself in the ‘home’ play-off spot. So this is the start, we’ve got to keep going.”

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Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/springboks-siya-kolisis-verdict-on-positional-switch-back-to-where-rassie-spotted-him