By Lucky Vince Pienaar
Vincent Mai, the Grey High old boy who sponsored Siya Kolisi’s school bursary, has stepped in again. The Springboks captain and his family will not have to spend the next two years in Paris.
Now that the deal is done, it is clearly the right thing for everybody, but it could have been a two-year sentence that would have felt like hard labour.
Only a few weeks ago, the owner of Racing 92 rugby club, Jacky Lorenzetti, dug in his heels, saying that he wasn’t prepared to accept delayed payment to get Springbok captain Siya Kolisi out of his contract.
When Siya moved to Paris, he was initially praised for doing great work at the club, particularly off the field, but that didn’t last long.
Lorenzetti made his famous announcement about Siya after the match against Bordeaux, saying that Siya was not at his best.
“He gained weight and lost shape. Yesterday he was transparent,” Lorenzetti told the media.
On the field, Kolisi was haunted by injuries, missing several matches, and he was never at his best.
On Sunday, speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe, Kolisi revealed that an agreement had been reached.
“I am grateful for the way Racing handled the situation,” he said.
He said that when he played for South Africa, he missed three months of the Top 14 season.
“I am very well paid, and it makes me feel like I am stealing from Racing,” he said.
“For my physical health and the club, I want to do what is right. I don’t want to only invest half of myself.”
Pictured above: Siya Kolisi.
Source: Springboks/X
