Following his move to the Sharks from Western Province last week, Siya Kolisi had his first training session with the Durban based franchise on Tuesday.
Kolisi, who ruled out going overseas to continue his career said that if he wasn’t going to play for Western Province, his desire was to join the Sharks.
"I thought about it a while ago, after the 2015 World Cup, [that] I wanted to go overseas," Kolisi told reporters at his unveiling last week.
"It was a really tough period in my career. But then again, the work I do off the field is really important to me and it’s one of the reasons why I love playing the game.
"Rugby opens a lot of opportunities for me. The most important thing is playing well on the field and I knew if I went away it would be hard for me to do that work.
"I made a decision to stay in South Africa for as long as I can.
"I always said that if I ever left Cape Town, this is the place I’d come to. Seeing the guys and playing against them – and I know a lot of them that play here – I’ve formed relationships with them.
"The culture and the vibe they have, I knew this was the best for me."
Kolisi, who won't captain his new team with Sharks management confirming that Lukhanyo Am would keep the armband.
At training today, Kolisi was put through his paces, along with his team-mates in preparation for the upcoming Franchise Cup.
SEE PICTURES OF KOLISI TRAINING BELOW
All images copyright Gallo