I almost gave up on rugby says Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe

Mike Greenaway

Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe says he came within a whisker of giving up rugby in Matric because his diminutive stature meant he was not getting picked.

The pocket rocket is one of South Africa’s most cherished players and has nailed 16 tries in his 38 Tests, including an absolute belter in the 2019 final against England. The sight of the irksome Owen Farrell being left for dead by the hot-stepping Kolbe is a special memory for Bok supporters.

“I nearly gave up because I wasn’t getting anywhere,” Kolbe told the BBC in an interview on the Channel Island of Jersey where the Boks are preparing for Sunday’s tour opener against Scotland.

One more crack

“Going through the age groups at school (Hoërskool Brackenfell in the Western Cape) I was not getting recognised and, in 2009, I told my dad I would have one more crack and if I was not successful, then I was going to walk away from rugby,” Kolbe said.

“But the stars lined up at last and I made Western Province schools and SA Schools. That put me on the map. But even when I broke into the WP team, there was criticism that I was too small and could not handle the big boys of New Zealand. That made me work harder to prove the sceptics wrong.

Kolbe, now 31, has consistently pushed the art of wing play and has proved, once and for all, that the only size that matters in rugby is the size of your heart.

“I was advised to move to scrumhalf but I did not have the experience. I was used to wing and fullback.

“I stuck to what I knew and believed in myself. I had faith that the opportunity would come at international level.”

The French connection

But Kolbe would have to go to France before the Springbok selectors recognised his talent.

“I left for Toulouse in 2017 because I was told that I wasn’t big enough to play for the Boks. I had been in training camps and believed I had been playing well but it was clear I would not be picked.

“I have Toulouse to thank for developing me and backing me. They made me the player I am today.

“They saw something special in me and let me play my game. They were not interested in my size. The way Toulouse plays suited me. I even played flyhalf.”

At the time that Kolbe was setting French rugby on fire, foreign-based players were not eligible for Springbok selection but in 2018, Rassie Erasmus took over at the Boks and changed the rule.

Kolbe was picked for the away leg of the Rugby Championship and after debuting in a defeat to Australia, the next week his boyhood dreams came true when he scored a match-winning try against the All Blacks in the 36-34 victory in Wellington.

Eight minutes in ‘rugby hell’

A year later, he scored that magnificent try in the World Cup final but four years after that, in the exact minute that he had scored in the 2019 final, he was yellow –carded and would spend the last eight minutes of the game in “rugby hell”.

He could not bear to watch the agonising finale as the All Blacks pushed for victory and he pulled a South Africa flag over his head.

“It was too nerve-wracking for me to watch. I just listened to the crowd. Everybody in the stadium was against us, so when the crowd went noisy, I knew we were under pressure and when they went quiet I knew we were on top.”

Kolbe says he will continue playing for as long as he has the hunger to work hard to keep the up-and-coming wings at bay.

Improving the legacy

“Growing up, all you want to do is play in the green jersey. So many great players have been before you and they made the team a global giant.

“For me, it is about improving the legacy of the past players and one day leaving the jersey in a better place.”

Kolbe says he also plays for his rugby-mad father.

“My dad always told me that I have opportunities he never had because of apartheid. I am living the dream of my dad. I am doing it for him and also to give my kids opportunities in life.”

Kolbe says that the current tour will see the Boks empty the tank to finish unbeaten.

“The coach always has tricks up his sleeves and is five steps ahead. Rassie finds novel ways to encourage us. In 2019, his pre-final team talk was nothing about the game plan and all about what each individual had had to overcome to make it that far.

“His knowledge of each individual’s personal story from childhood was incredibly moving.”