Sharks building culture off the field so they can shine on it

For most observers, the Sharks rugby squad would seem to already have a special team environment going, representing the demographics of the country and, at the same time, leading the pack in terms of performance on the field and in the boardroom.

But Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is confident that their culture is still budding, and the best is yet to come.

Kolisi joined the Sharks a year ago amidst much fanfare and, even if his international commitments have meant he has not played as many matches for them as he would have liked, he has clearly settled in well and is contributing in a big way.

As the man who has driven so much of the highly-successful new Springbok team culture, Kolisi is ideally placed to comment on how the Sharks are building a new environment as well.

“Every sporting culture has a past that you have to take into account. We’re still working towards something brilliant here,” Kolisi said.

“You have to acknowledge the past. You can’t change it but you need to learn from it. You need to have the conversations and understand what gets people going.”

Kolisi’s Springbok team-mate Lukhanyo Am is the Sharks captain and, as one of the most likeable and talented players around, he has had a key role in growing a successful culture at Kings Park.

“When you’re driving a culture, having a good environment off the field is nice too. We want to maintain high standards on and off the field,” Am said.

“We try to keep the environment pure – not just me, but everyone. Fortunately we have managed to get it right and keep the standards high,” the skipper added.

And then six months ago came the dreadful civil unrest in Durban that had the areas around Kings Park cowering behind barbed wire, using civilian patrols to protect themselves against the waves of looting and destruction.

It was surely the greatest test of the Sharks’ culture.

“Last year was worse than the craziest scene you’d see in a movie. It was such a test of our culture and we stood together,” Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee said of the rioting.

“We’re trying to grow an inclusive culture here, both in terms of lifestyle and our community.”