Springbok legend Cheslin Kolbe was a picture of gratitude on Saturday night after he had celebrated his 50th cap with a blistering try and a host of points via the boot as part of an emphatic 45-21 defeat of old rivals, England.
“It has not been an easy road, but I would not want it any other way,” the 32-year-old said. “To be part of this team and wear the green and gold in 50 Tests has been super special.”
Kolbe said that from an early age he understood that he had to silence the doubters.
“It was not easy being a small guy among giants,” he smiled. “It took a lot of sacrifice and hard work. I always remember my dad reminding me to put in the extra effort, the extra hours in the gym and on the field. It is something I have kept doing.”
Kolbe said that in his early career he hoped for a Springbok call-up and ensured he would be ready if it came.
“You never know when the opportunity is going to come. In 2017, I went to France (to play for Toulouse), still hoping to represent the Springboks,” he said. “A year later I got the call from coaches Rassie and Jacques to join the team in Brisbane. I made my debut off the bench (in a 23-18 loss to the Wallabies), and the next week scored a try in our win over the All Blacks in Wellington (36-34).
“It just shows you that whenever the opportunity comes, you have to be ready for it. I had been waiting for my chance and made the most of it.
“As a kid, playing for the Boks is something you dream of; you look up to guys like Eben (Etzebeth) who got to 50, to 100 and then to the record for the Boks (141 caps).
“Now for me to stand here with Damian (Willemse) as well, I am just super grateful for the coaches that believed in me, gave me the opportunities and backed me.”
Kolbe said it was a bonus to get his 50th cap in an important win.
“We knew it would not be easy against England and that we would have to fight for 80-plus minutes,” he explained.
“In the first half, they showed that they are a team that doesn’t go away. They dominated in the last 20 minutes of that half. The boys responded really well in the second half by sticking to our game plan and staying on top of them.”
Kolbe’s try involved a trademark sidestep, and it sparked déjà vu from the 2019 World Cup final against England.
“For a wing it is always a bonus to go over the white line. In Test rugby you don’t get too many of those opportunities, so you have to capitalise,” Kolbe said. “Every try is a bit different. As a wing it is my job to finish off opportunities out wide after the effort from the team to create the situation.”
Coach Erasmus surprised many by giving the goal-kicking duties to Kolbe instead of Manie Libbok. Kolbe missed two of three attempts in the first half but nailed four out of four in the second.
“Kicking for posts is something I enjoy; I have been doing it since primary school,” Kolbe said. “This last year in Japan I have been kicking and became more comfortable with it.
“At this level, every point counts, and after missing those two kicks it was about staying in my routine and trusting my process. You have to move on to the next job and not think about it too much.”
The focus for the Springboks now shifts to Scotland this week at Loftus Versfeld.
“There is plenty we can work on,” Kolbe said. “When you have a lead of 17-0, you need to stick to the structures and not make it a loose game. We did that, and it resulted in them scoring 14 points to get back into the game.”
