According to a report on the BBC this morning, Ryan Kankowski is set to become the latest in a long line of Springboks to continue his career in the Northern Hemisphere.
30-year-old Kankowski is apparently set to link up with Ulster ahead of the new European season. Former Sharks team-mates Louis Ludik, Ruan Pienaar and Wiehahn Herbst are all well established at Ravenhill, meaning a warm welcome for the big number 8 when he does make the switch.
A product of the Sharks Academy, Kankowski’s best years for the Sharks came during the latter part of the previous decade, with an award as South African Super Rugby Player of the Year in 2008 the highlight of a career that has perhaps never quite scaled the heights that it may have. Since 2012, Kankowski has played for Toyota Verblitz in Japan, those commitments dovetailing with a Super Rugby only deal in Durban. Earlier this year, though, it was announced that he had signed a National Sevens contract and would be concentrating on selection for the Rio Olympics as part of the Blitzbok team.
While no real details are available, it’s to be assumed that Kankowski would move to the UK once those Sevens commitments have run their course. It does, however, appear increasingly unlikely that he’ll play any Super Rugby this year – not for the Sharks at any rate.
I’d like to wish Ryan well for the future. He’s one of those players that has always been truly glorious to watch when in full flight and I’m sure all Sharks fans will join me in thanking him heartily for his contribution to the cause.
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Thanks for the years of service. Was definitely his time. Good luck for the future.
Another casualty of the Jake White stint… he was so good under Plum… anyway hope we get that banana factor back
Sharks boys loving the Ulster environment it seems…
@SheldonK (Comment 3) : reckon a decent wedge in Sterling goes a long way in Northern Ireland.
@ebenp (Comment 2) : Believe it or not some players just get old, Jake White was not the harbinger of every negative thing to ever happen.
One of my all time favorite/frustrating players.
@ebenp (Comment 2) : Had nothing to do with Jake and everything to do with Bakkies Botha.
It was a Bulls/Sharks game at K.P and Kanko was rampant till Bakkies caught him and pull him into maul and worked him over proper.
It happened right in front of me and it was a brutal sight.Kanko never ever shone again,
Ithink he was always looking over his shoulder for Bakkies.
He gave us terrible service last year and was not worth renewing his contract.
Now watch all the faithful come on here and tell us how he will be missed .
@The hound (Comment 7) : we won’t miss him. And I’m VERY faithful.
@The hound (Comment 7) : that’s a very insightful story – and not one I’ve heard before. It would definitely explain the slump though. Kanko was red hot, but that fire went out a few years ago.
A big thank you to the Hoff and best of luck with your Olympic dreams.
@vanmartin (Comment 10) : yes, you are right. I am actually quite determined to not be mega negative about this. Let’s wish him well and let that be that.
@robdylan (Comment 11) : I agree that he’s underperformed in recent years but if I can get one last glimpse of an on-song Kankowski on the Sevens circuit I’ll be really happy for the guy.
Good luck Kanko!!!!!!! All the best for your future!!!!!!!!!!
Kanko of old was always one of my favorites but something changed and maybe the hound is right but once the change happened he was never the same again. I’m sad to see him go because every year I hoped the old Kanko would arrive and now with him not coming back that hope dies. It’s sad to not have seen him one last time but best of luck to him in the future.
@ebenp (Comment 2) : Actually Ryan made a decent comeback in 2014 under the coaching of Jake White. Plum left Ryan out of his squad saying he is unfit and out of shape after playing in Japan.
@Letgo (Comment 15) : must say I personally think he lost form when he played in Japan!!!!!!! Seems as if the Sushi did not do him any good!!!!!!!!! 😈
Good luck up North, Kano. Thanks for all the years of service and the joy you brought us. You were genuinely liked and appreciated!
I’ll miss him. Another one of my favorites gone.
Actually I’ve been missing Kanko for the last 3 years or so. We’ve only seen glimpses of the real Kanko lately.
Would have loved to see him in full flight for the Sharks one more time.
@The hound (Comment 7) : @robdylan (Comment 8) : I’ll miss what he was and what he brought us even if I agree it was time for him to go…
@JD (Comment 16) : Plum never really gave him a chance to prove that. He gave him some time of the bench here and there and then dropped him completely. After that Kanko ‘s best performances was under Jake where he was massively important as a line out caller, with two very young locks coming onto the scene at that time.
Unfortunately he got injured that year, so we didn’t see much of him after the injury.
Look the Hoff was great when he was on song, but just as frustrating when he had a mediocre game, in his time he served as well and made more than a couple of us jump for joy with his runs, but in my opinion he would have had a far better career if he just focused on sevens, it is more his type of play, and who knows, he might still have had the flair that we saw in him as a youngster
@The hound (Comment 7) : was it a ruck or a maul and did it happen near the sharks 22?
@robdylan (Comment 11) :
Rob, I’m loving the new “Friend of Sharksworld” logo you’ve come up with. It ties in nicely with the – will you give up a cup of coffee for Sharksworld – theme and now it seems like we are friends having a coffee while chatting on Sharksworld.
@Letgo (Comment 20) : that’s true did manage the lineouts very good that year!!!!!! A bit sad to see him go as I liked him even though his form was a bit off.
He should have done this in the first place and not go to Japan. Ditto for JP.
Good luck Ryan. Always been one of my favourite players.
loved Kanko, when he burst on the scene as a youngster (not too different too JPP,lambie, Ruan P, F steyn, W murray) it was awesome
but when he came back to play SR from his first 3 months of Jap rugby he looked poor, Plums tried to drop him, and stated in the media that Ryan wasnt up to it physically and needed to step back from the first 23 squad and get into a conditioninn program (either cause he was over worked or undercooked)
If i remember correctly kanko didnt like this and insisted on keeping on playing, either way Plum was right kanko wasnt effective (although he was playing a lot of rugby starting from flank) and has never really been effective since
having said that, I wish him all the best, I hope his form improves and he regains his ability and goes to the olympics there after goes to Ireland and shows the ulster supporters his trade mark brand of speed physicality flair anc lineout stealing
Good luck Kanko, whenever i grow my hair out I always say it’s in honor of you lol (which is partly true)
kanko,jpp,frans,barritt,murray,beast,bismarck,sykes,ruan and keegan all came out of nowhere round the same time (’05/’06).
@50shadesofshark (Comment 28) : some quality players in that group!!!!
@The hound (Comment 7) :
That’s quite an incredible tale.
One work-over – career ending – never sited for – witnessed by noone else.
Incredible, as in : unbelievable, beyond belief, hard to believe, unconvincing, far-fetched, implausible, improbable, highly unlikely, dubious, doubtful;
I will miss him. And as for the bakkies botha yarn. I highly doubt one altercation or even working over would scare a veteran player into becoming a shadow of himself…very far fetched theory.
all the best to Kanko, really look forward to watching him on the Sevens scene and believe he can be a real asset there.
Was a good servant for Sharks rugby, but lost form a few seasons ago. Never the less, go well Kanko!!!
And the great run the Sharks had in SR 2012 had nothing to do with Kanko,why skirt the truth,Dumtree had his favourite KD and forced him in at 8 when clearly he was not at the expense of Kanko with nonssense reasons ,JW revitilised a demotivated player hence his great play under JW
@benji (Comment 34) : ja look you can’t please everyone and some people have selective memory!!! For me Kanko was a great servant of the Sharks and I would always be thankful for that!!!
@JD (Comment 35) : yes and for Richie Mcaw and Crusaders to say they fear Kanko what a complement,in my books one of the best 8’s but also from a time when the Sharks were mighty and feared and were not scared to play all 5 NZ teams in a row and beat them
Sadly, the Kanko that came back from his stints in Japan was never the same player as the one that went to Japan in the first place. If he had been he would have been snapped up by another union in the blink of an eye. It just didnt happen.
BTW, Ulster are denying that they’ve signed him…. so not completely sure what the story is here.
@robdylan (Comment 38) : that’s very interesting?!?!
@benji (Comment 36) : ja that’s a great complement indeed.