Exclusive: Rugby Championship in Sight for South Africa But Calm Heads Are Needed, says Cheslin Kolbe
In an exclusive interview, Cheslin Kolbe reflects on South Africa's Rugby Championship campaign, his evolving game, and learning from young players in the Springbok squad. With calm heads needed, Kolbe emphasizes the journey is far from over
Image Credits: Lionel Hahn/Getty Images
In this exclusive interview, Springbok winger, Cheslin Kolbe reflects on his team’s performances in the Rugby Championship so far, how his game has developed, and what it’s like to learn from youngsters in the team.
The Springboks maintained their unbeaten run in this year’s Rugby Championship after defusing New Zealand to claim a hard-fought 18-12 victory at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town over the past weekend.
After trailing 9-3 at the halfway mark, the back-to-back World Cup winners sealed the win in the second half with tries from skipper, Siya Kolisi, and replacement hooker, Malcolm Marx.
As things stand, the Boks top the table with 18 points and will travel to Argentina for round five of the tournament high in spirits.
A Blistering Start to the Campaign
The Springboks began this year’s tournament looking for redemption, and out to prove their World Cup triumph in France last year was no fluke.
They entered the campaign after a two-match test series with Ireland. In the first test at Loftus Versfeld, Rassie Erasmus’s troops defeated the Irish 27-20, but the following week were humbled, succumbing to a 25-24 defeat at Kings Park stadium in Durban.
They turned their attention to the Rugby Championship, and in the first two rounds dominated Australia down under. In the first test at Sydney, the Boks ran rampant beating the Wallabies 33-7. A week later, with arguably a second-string side, the Boks managed a 30-12 win in wet conditions in Perth.
Those two wins set them up nicely for the New Zealand challenge, one in which Erasmus’s men conquered.
“We had a good start, playing our first two tests in Australia of which we didn’t have a good record there for a couple of years,” Kolbe told SportsBoom.com.
“We couldn’t ask for a better start with two bonus point wins and coming back to our country and playing in front of our home crowd was special.”
“We’re undefeated up until now but we haven’t been playing our best rugby.”
We can’t get carried away, there’s so much to improve on and learn from especially the two New Zealand matches. That’s the beauty of the sport, we have another opportunity in the next couple of weeks, the job isn’t done.
Cheslin Kolbe
An Evolving All-Rounder
Kolbe made his Springbok debut against Australia in 2018 during round three of the Rugby Championship.
Since then, he’s gone on to win two Rugby World Cups, a British & Irish Lions tour, and the Freedom Cup, and is in line to lift his second Rugby Championship title, the first coming back in 2019.
During his time in the team, he’s played an integral role, featured frequently for the side in recent years, and has evolved his game making him one of the most exciting, and dangerous outbacks in the world.
He can play various positions, throws in the lineout when needed, feeds the scrum now, and again, and he’s still evolving his game.
“I feel like I’ve grown on and off the field since coming into the Bok setup,” he continued.
“A special thanks must go to the coaches that I’ve been working with, and more so the players around me for making it possible for me to be at my best when wearing the green and gold jersey.”
“I’ve been given the license to be myself, and play what’s in front of me, but I’m still learning.”
I always have to come up with something new because teams are analysing me but it’s all about growing, and this season is no different.
Cheslin Kolbe
Learning from the Youngsters
In the current Bok team, several young players are being given an opportunity to showcase their skills by head coach Rassie Erasmus.
In the backline, in particular, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Aphelele Fassi are the two that have stepped up and made spectators take notice.
Kolbe said it’s been a joy playing alongside them, and he’s learning a few of their tricks.
“The guys coming through bring a high level of energy into the team,” Kolbe revealed.
“I’ve been trying to learn and pick up from the things they do whether it’s in the gym or at training, because it brings up something different to my style of play.”
“You’d swear they’ve been in the team for five years. Their composure, and how well they remain calm under pressure are impressive. They have a lot of new tricks, and I’m trying to grab as much and stay on par with them,” he concluded.
The Springboks will be back in action next week (21 September 2024) when they take on Argentina in round five of the Rugby Championship at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades.
Avuyile Sawula is a young sports journalist, broadcaster, and writer. He completed his Journalism and Media qualification at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, recently carved his way into the industry, and has developed a neck for multimedia reporting on various online platforms.
He began his career as a Junior writer and Intern at Grit Sports News, where his main reporting beats were Rugby and Cricket. He covered major sporting events such as the HSBC Cape Town 7s, HSBC 7s World Cup, the Inaugural SA20 auction, Formula E, and more.