Siya Kolisi and Western Province have come to an agreement to part ways, with the Springbok captain set to join coastal rivals the Sharks.
Province announced on Sunday that they released their star flanker from his contract earlier than the October expiration date after 11 years of service.
Kolisi signed with WP Rugby straight out of school, learning his trade at the WP Rugby Institute and playing in the U19 team in 2010, which also featured fellow future Springboks Frans Malherbe, Scarra Ntubeni, Eben Etzebeth, Nizaam Carr and Damian de Allende.
It did not take Kolisi long to make an impression and he made his provincial debut in 2011, before going on to earn his first Stormers cap in 2012 and scoring a try on debut.
Kolisi became a Bok on his 22nd birthday in 2013, before going on to lead South Africa to World Cup glory in Japan in 2019 as the national team’s first black captain.
Kolisi said: “I would like to thank everyone at Western Province Rugby for what has been an incredible time in my life in which I have grown as a rugby player and a person.
“All of the coaches, management and teammates who had such a big influence on me over the last 11 years and especially the Stormers Faithful and people of Cape Town and beyond who made my time so special. It has been a privilege to experience their support.”