Cheslin Kolbe said he does not see kicking as a 'bonus' to his repertoire. It is something he has worked on since his school days.
Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe (50th cap) and Damian de Allende celebrate their win over England. Picture: Steve Haag – Nations Championship/Nations Championship via Getty Images
A try and a second consecutive strong performance with the boot capped a great game for Cheslin Kolbe in his 50th Test match for the Springboks.
Last year’s World Rugby Player of the Season nominee said he was grateful to reach the milestone (along with Damian Willemse) when the Springboks beat England 45-21 in their opening Nations Championship match at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Kolbe scored a try using a signature side-step to pass the defender, and was given the tee for all seven conversions even though Manie Libbok was available at flyhalf.
The wing slotted five of them for a decent success rate of 71%, after nailing nine out of 11 conversions (82%) against the Barbarians in their non-Test two weeks earlier.
Before that game, he had rarely taken on the goal-kicking duties, slotting only eight kicks for his country in total.
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Kolbe sees kicking as more than a bonus
“It’s something I’ve been working on since I was a young kid,” Kolbe said afterwards.
“You never know when something will go wrong in the team and at the end of the day, you need to stay on top of those extras that you do.
“I don’t see the kicking as a bonus. It’s something I have worked on since I was at school and for my whole professional career, and my time in Japan [at Tokyo Sungoliath] has contributed to that.”
Still, Kolbe was not happy about missing the posts twice. He said he could “get better”, focusing on contributing with his next opportunity.
He thanked his coaches and teammates for their faith in him in this area.
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‘It wasn’t an easy journey’
Kolbe said every time he wore the Springbok jersey, from his first cap to his 50th Test, it was a dream come true.
“If you had to ask me when I was a young kid if I would represent the Springboks and get to 50 I’d probably say no, even though it was the dream.
“Now to stand here with Damian as well, I’m super grateful for the coaches who believed in me, who gave me an opportunity.
“It wasn’t an easy journey, especially not being the biggest oke amongst all the giants on the field.”
Kolbe said his father had warned him early on that making it in rugby would require more time and effort than others.
Now to come this far, the wing said he rated the England win as high among his victories in a Springbok jersey.
