Racing 92 announced on Tuesday January 3 that it had reached an agreement with one of the best players in the world in the third line position, Siya Kolisi, 31 years old.

He was the captain of the South African selection at the 2019 World Cup won by the Springboks and has been evolving since 2021 within the South African Sharks franchise.

"This signing is part of a broader long-term collaboration agreement between the Racing 92 and Sharks clubs, where each of the parties has made financial efforts," the Parisian club said in a statement, without giving more details. details of the transaction amount.

"The signing of Siya Kolisi reinforces the ambitions of Racing 92 and will offer our supporters a high-level show at Paris La Défense Arena. His deep culture of victory and his natural leadership make him a very great player who doubles as a "a deeply humanist man," said Jacky Lorenzetti, chairman of the Racing 92 supervisory board.

This player who is very committed to education and social cohesion, in particular through the Kolisi foundation, was the first black captain of South Africa.

He currently has 61 selections with the Springboks, with whom he notably played four matches during their recent autumn tour, including the defeat against the Blues in Marseille (30-26).

The desire to continue his charitable actions

"I am very enthusiastic about the idea of ​​joining Racing 92 after the World Cup, a visionary club that I have always admired (...). Racing 92 has great ambitions on the ground but also societal projects very encouraging, which aligns with my mission and personal values," Kolisi said in a statement.

My statement on joining @racing92 after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

pic.twitter.com/bxR8YOkA54

— Siya Kolisi (@SiyaKolisi) January 3, 2023

The player spoke at length in an interview with the sports daily L'Équipe, which was in the confidence of his signature.

He explains that he has long had the idea of ​​discovering France and its Top 14, a championship in which he hopes to shine by bringing "added value".

In this interview, Kolisi also explains that he hopes that Racing 92 will support him in his "philanthropic action" and his charitable activities in South Africa.

"It means everything to me, because it's my link with my country. It's also the reason why I play rugby: I want to leave a legacy even off the field," he says daily. jock.

Originally from the township of Zwide in Port Elizabeth, he fights in particular so that young people from underprivileged neighborhoods can benefit, like him, from a scholarship or financial aid to be able to study and practice various sports activities.

The desire to win a new World Cup

Siya Kolisi will notably find at Racing 92 a teammate crowned world champion in 2019, the pillar Trevor Nyakane.

With his arrival, the Ile-de-France club is continuing its strategy of signing major foreign players.

This had been the case with the Irish Jonathan Sexton in 2014 or the Australian Kurtley Beale in 2018.

To date, his biggest transfer remains the arrival of New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter in 2015. With him, Racing 92 won its last title, the Top 14, in 2016, during an exceptional final organized in the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona.

Since then, the club led by Jacky Lorenzetti has struggled to win a new trophy, both in the French championship and in European competition.

However, it has a comfortable budget and has unique infrastructures in French rugby, like the Paris La Défense Arena, an ultramodern enclosure which allows the practice of this sport indoors.

Racing 92 is counting on Kolisi to put on a show and become champions again.

A challenge that the South African third line is eager to take up.

Even if he hopes, before joining his future club, to succeed in shining in France under another jersey, that of South Africa.

"The goal is to try to win a new World Cup with the Springboks," he explains in L'Équipe.

Because the South Africans could, on the occasion of this tenth edition of the World Cup, win a fourth title and thus pass in front of their great New Zealand rivals.

With AFP

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