Reports tip Kolisi to join Sharks after MVM Holdings acquisition

As initially reported by The Daily Maverick, Kolisi’s contract with Western Province is set to end in July 2021 and it is believed that he could join the Sharks following the landmark agreement between the Durban outfit and MVM Holdings.

Earlier this week, the Sharks confirmed the US-based consortium would purchase a 51 percent majority stake in the business, while current shareholders SuperSport International and the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union will hold the remaining 49 percent share of the franchise.

MVM Holdings had initially been courting the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) with a deal to purchase a controlling share in the Western Province but that eventually fell through, following a failure by WPRFU to agree to terms with the consortium. MVM had offered  $6 mln (R100 mln) for the same stake it is now set to take in the Sharks.

While the terms of the sale between the Durban outfit and MVM Holdings are still confidential, it is believed to be in the same region of what was put on the table in Cape Town. MVM Holdings is headed up by New York based attorney Macro Massotti, who originally hails from Amanzimtoti on the KZN South Coast. 

Roc Nation, Vincent Mai involvement is key

Following the Springboks’ success at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, Kolisi signed up with international management agency Roc Nation. The firm, founded by American rapper and serial entrepreneur Jay-Z, now represents the Springbok skipper.

Roc Nation Sports International’s president Michael Yormark is a member of MVM Holdings and the company is also set to help assist the growth of the Sharks’ brand internationally. 

Another member of MVM Holdings is Vincent Mai, a renowned South African businessman and philanthropist who has played a pivotal role in Kolisi’s life. Mai is a Grey PE old boy who set up the Vincent Mai Bursary Scheme at the school of which Kolisi was the first ever recipient.

Following their triumph over England in the Rugby World Cup final, Kolisi paid tribute to his benefactor for helping change his life and the lives of hundreds of other children from underprivileged backgrounds through the Bursary Scheme.

“Rachel and I have spent 2 days in NYC with Vincent and his wife Annie. Vincent is a fellow Grey boy and has invested in 100's of kids in SA through bursaries, majority of the time without ever meeting them. I was 1 of those kids. Without the opportunity, there is no way I'd be where I am today. He sowed into my life without ever knowing what would come from it, and I couldn't be more grateful. I'm so honored to have spent some time with him and his family. I’m so excited for the work we’re about to do in South Africa 🇿🇦 together,” Kolisi wrote in an Instagram post in late 2019.

With these close connections now tied into the soon-to-be sealed deal with the Sharks, there is a good chance that Kolisi could well be headed for the East Coast of Durban in the next few months.

The rejigged local rugby calendar sees the Currie Cup draw to a close on January 23. The Sharks, Lions, Bulls and Stormers will then begin their life in the extended Pro14, renamed the Rainbow Nations Cup, in April this year.