Double-Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks captain Siya Kolisi was on top form for Racing 92 on Saturday in their 48-26 victory over Cardiff in the Investec Champions Cup.
Kolisi joined the side from the Durban-based Sharks after the 2023 World Cup, having led South Africa to their fourth title.
He has quickly settled into life in Paris ever since, whether it is rubbing shoulders with celebs and taking trips to the US or performing on the pitch.
However, he took his on-field form up a few notches on Saturday when he grabbed his first five-pointer for his new employers.
was a driving force in as the Parisian side snuck into the Champions Cup play-offs despite winning just one game in the pool stages and losing a further three.
were put on the back foot early on in the match after Rhys Carre’s try as they trailed 7-3 but quickly hit back after full-back Tristan Tedder’s brilliant cross-kick sat up perfectly for Kitione Kamikamica to score.
It was then Kolisi’s turn to make his mark as Racing went through the phases inside the Cardiff 22. The hard-working flanker played a prominent role in the build-up, clearing out rucks, and when he received the ball just five metres from the line, there was only one outcome as he powered forward into two tacklers and dotted the ball down for his first try.
That was not his only try involvement in the match as he showed off his softer skills soon after to send Inia Tabuavou over for his side’s third try.
He caught a fizzing pass from fly-half Antoine Gibert, who earned a call-up to France’s Six Nations squad off the back of his fine form and quickly transferred the ball on to Tabuavou, who sped away down the touchline to score.
Tomos Williams would hit back for Cardiff as Racing led 20-12 at half-time.
However, that was as close as the Welsh outfit would get to Racing for the rest of the match as Tedder, Christian Wade, Maxime Baudonne and Jannick Tarrit all grabbed second-half tries.
Overall, it was a fine outing for Kolisi, who also made all eight of his attempted tackles against Cardiff and gained 30 metres from his seven carries. He also made a match-high of three turnovers.
