- Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira has hailed Siya Kolisi's signing at King's Park and believes the Bok skipper is final piece of the franchise's "puzzle".
- Mtawarira is chuffed that Kolisi is in Durban to merely add "immense value" because it gives credit to the rest of the team, who actually set up the Sharks' new transformation focus.
- He also noted that the Durbanites will soon, however, be judged on on-field success, but that the environment is perfect for "excellence".
Legendary Springbok and Sharks prop Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira has hailed his former team's signing of Siya Kolisi as one of the final pieces of the franchise's puzzle towards building inclusivity.
The Springbok captain, who was immediately linked to the Durbanites once MVM Holdings was confirmed as majority shareholder in January, officially joined in February, spurred on by the team's "vision" and by MVM's association with Roc Nation Sports, the agency he joined after the World Cup.
However, the real thrill for Mtawarira - who joined his former team-mate under the Roc Nation banner on Wednesday - lies in the fact that Kolisi hasn't been scooped up to spearhead the Sharks' drive towards true representivity, but is rather a presence that strengthens it.
"I'm really proud that he made that decision," the 35-year-old strongman, capped 117 times at international level, told Sport24.
"It was bold one. He's going to add immense value to the Sharks' cause. He can also be confident that he's going to have the best support at the francise."
Therein lies the crux of the matter: Kolisi is adding value, not establishing it.
Since the duo of CEO Ed Coetzee and head coach Sean Everitt took over in 2019, inclusivity has been pillars of the Sharks' transformation strategy.
On the commercial side they've made deals with partners that aim to increase the reach of the franchise's brand beyond limited, traditional markets and began a "I See Colour" movement, which celebrates inclusivity by actually highlighting diversity.
And on the field, Everitt and his lieutenants have backed up impressive numbers of black players being selected by giving them the type of game-time that allows them to develop into key players.
"The Sharks stand for diversity and inclusion. It's always been one of the things that we wanted to address and the team has evolved into an outfit that now resembles those values," said Mtawarira.
"It's an unbelievable platform that Sean, Ed and the players have laid.
"Having Siya there now is really just an extra piece of the puzzle. His story is so inspirational and can mean so much to people not just in South Africa, but around the world. He's the guy, I believe, that's just putting this whole, great thing together."
Mtawarira though is also a winner at heart - he won six trophies with the Sharks and Springboks - and is acutely aware that the team from King's Park will only truly convey their powerful message if it's backed-up by on-field excellence.
Topping the log in 2020's cancelled Super Rugby campaign and reaching the final of the Currie Cup represents an encouraging start in that regard, but titles will eventually become top of the agenda.
"How they're going to be judged now is on the field, but I really believe the environment that's been created is ideal for excellence," said Mtawarira.
"It's going to come out in the big way, I believe and I can't wait to be a passionate Sharks fan witnessing that in the stands."