Contract talks between the Sharks and Sbu Nkosi appear to have stalled and the World Cup-winning Springbok wing is reportedly considering an offer to join the Vodacom Bulls.
Nkosi has spent the entirety of his professional career with the Sharks, having moved down to Durban after high school in 2015. He made his Currie Cup debut for the team in 2016 and his Super Rugby debut in early 2017.
Having progressed quickly through the ranks, Nkosi was included in Rassie Erasmus’ first Springbok squad and would make his Test debut in the series against England in 2018.
In 2020, Nkosi signed a new contract with the Sharks to continue with the team until the end of 2022.
However, with Nkosi’s contract set to expire at the end of this year, Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee told TimesLive that there is a possibility the speedster could leave the Durban-based club.
“We are still negotiating with Sbu. We’ve got a lot of high-profile players like Siya Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am and obviously they all cost a lot of money,” said Coetzee.
“We would definitely like to keep Sbu but we haven’t agreed just beyond his current contract. There’s a possibility he might leave but nothing has been confirmed.”
The implication is that the Sharks are unable or unwilling to offer Nkosi what he believes to be his market value, but the Bulls are interested in acquiring the Bok finisher and they may have the resources to acquire him.
In Pretoria, he would link up with former Sharks teammate Madosh Tambwe, who has been in superb form in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. It was also reported that Nkosi’s Roc Nation management would look for a new home for him abroad.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
