STEPPING ON THE GAS

CHESLIN Kolbe once doubted he had a future in the game. Briefly, as some critics continued to suggest he was too small to make it big as a professional rugby player, he considered calling it quits.

It puts his current status into stark perspective, particularly bearing in mind that many now view him as the leading player in world rugby. In 2019, he was a nominee in the World Rugby Player of the Year category, losing out to South Africa team-mate Pieter-Steph du Toit. And if the 2020 calendar hadn’t been decimated by Covid-19 disruptions, there is every chance he would have been a prime candidate to claim that accolade, considering his form has barely wavered whenever he’s run out for French club Toulouse.

For Kolbe, the rugby field is still his “playground” and the game his “escape”. His Springbok heroics in recent times – headlined by his try in the 2019 World Cup final – have sent his profile skyrocketing, but