Cheslin Kolbe says the Springboks could feel the mood of a disappointed nation during the week before their crucial victory over the All Blacks in Cape Town — and were determined to give their supporters something to celebrate.
The Springboks bounced back from their shock 33-16 defeat at Ellis Park with a hard-fought 33-26 victory at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, levelling the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at 1-1.
For Kolbe, the occasion carried an added significance. Born in Cape Town and having started his rugby career in the city, the opportunity to play for the Springboks against New Zealand in front of a packed home crowd was the fulfilment of a childhood dream.
“Cape Town is obviously a special place for me because I was born here. I started my rugby career here,” Kolbe said.
“To get an opportunity to play for the Springboks against New Zealand in Cape Town, it’s massive.
“Every Test match is massive, but just the drive to training and to the game tonight, to see the people out and cheering the boys, it’s really special.
“We should never take that for granted, what this team can do to a country and to the people.”
The Springboks had endured a difficult week following their heavy defeat at Ellis Park, with Kolbe saying the players were aware of the change in atmosphere back home.
“We could feel the negativity — or not negativity, but less energy throughout the week because of the loss of last week,” he said.
“As I always say, if we lose, it’s a ‘Blou Maandag’ (Blue Monday). We felt that, but we just wanted to rectify that tonight.
“It wasn’t easy at all. We needed to stay in the fight.”
Kolbe played an important role in the victory and has also emerged as a useful goalkicking option, having taken on greater responsibility with his Japanese club during the season.
The diminutive wing said his goal-kicking was not something he had suddenly added to his game, but rather a skill he had been developing throughout his professional career.
“Kicking-wise, I’ve been doing it, and I’ve been training since I started my professional career. I just keep ticking away on it,” he said.
His experience of being the primary goal-kicker in Japan had, however, helped refine his technique.
“The responsibility of taking over the goal-kicking the whole season has definitely contributed to my kicking style and my technique,” Kolbe said.
“I can also give credit to the coaches in Japan because they work quite a lot with me. Tony (Brown) at the Springbok set-up has tweaked a few things for me so that I could get more consistency.”
Kolbe admitted there was no substitute for continued hard work, regardless of how confident he felt about his range.
“You obviously don’t go out there not wanting to miss a kick. You do your best to contribute to the team’s success,” he said.
“I’ll just continue to make sure that I work on the skill throughout the week. Hopefully, it pays off on the weekend.”
Asked how far he believed he could kick, Kolbe was less certain.
“I don’t know. I think most of the balls tonight are just over the post,” he joked. “I can’t give you an honest radar of how far I can go.”
For Kolbe, developing another string to his bow is simply part of being a modern professional rugby player.
“You always need to bring something new to the team. You need to develop and grow as a player and individually as well,” he said.
“At the end of the day, it’s contributing to the team’s success. I’m honestly blessed with the talent that I’m thankful for. I’ll just continue to keep working hard and execute to the best of my ability.”
While the victory was hugely satisfying, Kolbe was already looking ahead to the next challenge, warning that the All Blacks would respond in the same way the Springboks had after their Ellis Park defeat.
“When you lose, the team’s going to come back to prove a point. For us, that was the case tonight,” he said.
“Now we just need to keep our feet on the ground, go back on Monday and see where we didn’t capitalise on opportunities.
“New Zealand are a good, quality team. They attack really well, and they cut us a few times. We definitely need to look at where we can improve and get better as a team.”
The occasion itself, however, will live long in Kolbe’s memory.
“For me, honestly, every Test match is special. This one tonight, the greatest rivalry of the whole tour,” he said.
“I think we take it back 30 years ago when it started. For us, as a group, to get the opportunity to be a part of the greatest rivalry, it’s incredible.
“It’s massive for South Africa, for the global sport in general. I’ll definitely say this one’s up there.”
With the series now level, Kolbe knows there will be no shortage of motivation on either side when the rivals meet again.
For now, though, he believes the key lesson from Cape Town is the determination and fight shown by the Springboks when their backs were against the wall.
“I think just the determination, the fight of every player tonight was incredible,” he said.
