Cheslin Kolbe

Last updated

Cheslin Kolbe
Cheslin Kolbe 2022.jpg
Kolbe playing for South Africa in 2022
Date of birth (1993-10-28) 28 October 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Kraaifontein, South Africa
Height1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) [1]
Weight75 kg (165 lb; 11 st 11 lb) [1]
School Hoërskool Brackenfell
University University of the Free State
Notable relative(s) Wayde van Niekerk (cousin)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing / Fullback / Fly-half
Current team Tokyo Sungoliath
Youth career
2009–2012 Western Province
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2012–2017 Western Province 43 (65)
2013–2017 Stormers 49 (74)
2017–2021 Toulouse 82 (172)
2021–2023 Toulon 30 (50)
2023– Tokyo Sungoliath 8 (25)
Correct as of 24 May 2023
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2013 South Africa U20 5 (10)
2015–2016 South Africa Sevens 30 (113)
2018– South Africa 39 (111)
Correct as of 16 November 2024
Medal record
Representing Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Men's Men's Rugby Sevens
Olympic Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team competition
Men's Men's Rugby 15's
Rugby World Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2019 Japan Squad
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 France Squad

Cheslin Kolbe (born 28 October 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for Tokyo Sungoliath in the Japan Rugby League One and the South Africa national team. [2] His regular position is wing, but he also plays at fullback. He has also recently featured at fly half for Toulouse in the Top 14, and as a scrum half internationally. Kolbe was a member of the South Africa Sevens team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He has won the Rugby World Cup twice with South Africa, in 2019 and 2023. Kolbe was nominated for 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year but lost to teammate Pieter-Steph du Toit. He previously played for Toulouse, Toulon, Stormers, and Western Province. He has also won the Rugby Championship and the Lions Series with the Springboks, the Top14 and Champions Cup with Toulouse, the Currie Cup with Western Province, and the Challenge Cup with Toulon. He is one of the highest paid rugby players in the world, with a reported salary of between ¥130–155 million yen per season.

Contents

Since making his debut for South Africa in 2018 in a 23–18 loss to Australia, he has scored 18 tries in 39 tests for South Africa. Kolbe is known for his defensive capabilities despite his diminutive frame, his speed and stepping ability, as well as his power in contact. He is widely regarded as one of the best wingers of his generation.

Early life

Kolbe played for Hoërskool Brackenfell. He represented Western Province at various youth levels, from the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2009 to the 2012 Under-21 Provincial Championship.

Club career

Western Province

He made his provincial first class debut in their Vodacom Cup match against Boland Cavaliers. [3] and a month later he was named on the bench for the Stormers for their Super Rugby game against the Sharks. [4]

In October 2014, he was part of the Western Province team that won the Currie Cup by beating the Lions 19–16. [5]

He penned a three-year deal to remain at Western Province until 2016. [6]

Toulouse

Kolbe with Toulouse in 2017 Cheslin Kolbe 2017.jpg
Kolbe with Toulouse in 2017

Kolbe moved to France to join Top 14 side Toulouse for the 2017–2018 season. [7] Kolbe received a call-up to the South Africa national team for the 2018 Rugby Championship. He made his debut for South Africa against Australia on 8 September, during Round Three of the competition, coming on in the 33rd minute as an injury replacement for Makazole Mapimpi, in a match that South Africa lost 18–23.

In June 2019, Kolbe started for Stade Toulousain in the Top 14 final winning the French Championship. In 2021 Kolbe won both the European Cup and the Top 14 with Toulouse.

International career

Kolbe made his test debut in 2018 and played an important part in Springboks winning the 2019 Rugby Championship. On 2 November, Kolbe was part of the 2019 World-Cup winning team in Japan, scoring a try late in the second half of the Final against England. Kolbe was again instrumental in the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa, starting in all three test matches and the South Africa A match. Kolbe scored the Springboks' only try in the third and deciding test of the tour to propel South Africa to a series win. He was also instrumental to victory in the 2023 World Cup, where he received a yellow card and was sent off for a deliberate knock-on in the last ten minutes of the World Cup final, as South Africa held on to win 12–11 against New Zealand.

South Africa Under-20

In 2013, he was included in the training group that toured Argentina in preparation for the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship. [8] He was then included in the squad for the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship. [9]

National sevens team

Between 2012 and 2017, he represented the South Africa Sevens team. In 2013, he was included in the squad for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens. [10] Kolbe was included in a 12-man squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. [11] He was named as a substitute for their first match in Group B of the competition against Spain, with South Africa winning the match 24–0. [12] [13]

Honours

Western Province

Toulouse

Toulon

South Africa

South Africa 7's

Test Match record

As of 16 November 2024
AgainstPWDLTriPts%Won
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina 4400210100
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 43010075
British and Irish Lions flag with no Lion.svg  British and Irish Lions 32011566.67
Flag of England.svg  England 3300315100
Flag of France.svg  France 320111366.67
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 2200323100
IRFU flag.svg  Ireland 410321325
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 2200210100
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 841331750
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 220000100
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 43011575
Total39281101811171.79

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored

Test tries (18)

TryOppositionLocationVenueCompetitionDateResultScore
1Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand Westpac Stadium 2018 Rugby Championship 15 September 2018Win34–36
2Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld 2018 Rugby Championship 6 October 2018Loss30–32
3Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina Salta, Argentina Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena 2019 Rugby Championship 10 August 2019Win13–46
4Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Kumagaya, Japan Kumagaya Rugby Stadium Test match6 September 2019Win7–41
5
6Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Fukuroi, Japan Shizuoka Stadium 2019 Rugby World Cup 4 October 2019Win3–49
7
8Flag of England.svg  England Yokohama, Japan International Stadium Yokohama 2019 Rugby World Cup Final 2 November 2019Win12–32
9British and Irish Lions flag with no Lion.svg  British and Irish Lions Cape Town, South Africa Cape Town Stadium 2021 British & Irish Lions tour 7 August 2021Win19–16
10Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium 2022 Wales tour 2 July 2022Win32–29
11Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Genoa, Italy Luigi Ferraris Stadium 2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals 19 November 2022Win21–63
12Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Auckland, New Zealand Mount Smart Stadium 2023 Rugby Championship 15 July 2023Loss35–20
13IRFU flag.svg  Ireland Saint-Denis, France Stade de France 2023 Rugby World Cup 23 September 2023Loss8–13
14Flag of France.svg  France Saint-Denis, France Stade de France 2023 Rugby World Cup 15 October 2023Win28–29
15IRFU flag.svg  Ireland Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium 2024 Ireland tour of South Africa 6 July 2024Win27–20
16Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina Mbombela, South Africa Mbombela Stadium 2024 Rugby Championship 28 September 2024Win48–7
17Flag of England.svg  England London, England Twickenham Stadium 2024 end-of-year rugby union internationals 16 November 2024Win20–29
18

Personal life

Kolbe married Layla Cupido in 2018 and they have three children together. [14] [15]

He is a devout Christian. [16] [17]

Kolbe is a cousin of famous South African track and field sprinter Wayde van Niekerk, [17] who won the gold medal in the 400 metres at the 2016 Olympics and is the current 300m and 400m world record holder.

References

  1. 1 2 "Cheslin Kolbe player profile". rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Cheslin Kolbe". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  3. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Regent Boland Cavaliers 17–17 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Van Aswegen to start at flyhalf". Stormers. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013., then he took a year out to join moyvalley rugby club
  5. ↑ http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/CurrieCup/WP-crowned-Currie-Cup-champs-20141025/accessdate=2015-09-14 [ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "New deal for WP's Kolbe". Planet Rugby. 13 August 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "Communiqué officiel Cheslin Kolbe sera Stadiste en 2017-2018" (Press release) (in French). Stade Toulousain. 18 January 2017. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "SA U20 training group named for Argentine tour". South African Rugby Union. 28 March 2013. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Steenkamp leads powerful SA U20 JWC squad". South African Rugby Union. 25 April 2013. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "Kyle Brown back to command Springbok Sevens for Mission Moscow". South African Rugby Union. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "Rugby Sevens squad for Olympics named". South African Rugby Union. 14 July 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  12. ↑ "Men Schedule & Results – Olympic Rugby Sevens (RSA–ESP)". Rio 2016. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  13. ↑ "Olympic Games Men's Sevens, Match 2". World Rugby. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  14. ↑ "Cheslin Kolbe ties the knot on Top Billing". www.topbilling.com. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  15. ↑ Karimi, Cindy (7 July 2023). "Rugby WAGS: Meet Layla Kolbe, Cheslin Kolbe's wife [Pics]". The South African. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Twee neefs soek goud". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). 16 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  17. 1 2 de Villiers, Ockert (17 July 2016). "Rio a family affair for Wayde, Cheslin". Independent Online. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.