John Goliath
THERE’S always a feeling of excitement and anticipation among the Newlands faithful when fullback Cheslin Kolbe fields a rugby ball.
Almost all the spectators at the grand old stadium, or even at any other arena around South Africa for that matter, move a few inches toward the edge of their seats, while others even get up on to their feet. “Go Chessie go!” is a familiar cry from the terraces.
Kolbe is blessed with speed, vision, anticipation and a vicious sidestep. And while he may not be the biggest rugby player on the park at 1.71m and 72kg, he does have the heart of a broad-shouldered lion.
Kolbe has the same effect on the Province faithful like HO de Villiers, Carel du Plessis, Breyton Paulse and, more recently, a Gio Aplon, did.
The latter is also giving the former Brackenfell High star some advice on how to deal with the heightened expectation every time he touches the ball.
For the Stormers in Super Rugby this year, Kolbe was a marked man and most teams tried to flatten him with big hits. But the pint-sized flyer got up and dusted himself off every time he was nailed.
He didn’t always have a go on attack, though. Whether that was because of instruction or whether opposition defences closed him down a lot quicker as the competition progressed, is debatable.
Many people forget that Kolbe is only 21 years old, still an infant in rugby terms. This is basically his second full season of top-flight rugby and he is still learning the ropes.
So, while he wants to thrill the crowd all the time with his dazzling runs, he knows he can’t always have a full go. And this is where Aplon’s advice is handy.
“You hear the crowd now and then, but for me it’s about choosing the right moment for the team, which will benefit us at the end of the day,” Kolbe said.
“I think you just have to sum up the situation really quickly. A guy like Gio Aplon always told me ‘don’t listen to the crowds, play what’s in front of you’.”
But, like the nimble-footed Aplon, Kolbe has had to navigate his way through the negative sentiments regarding his size, and the fact that Springbok coaches have largely ignored smaller players,.
Kolbe may be small but he boasts a lot of muscle, as his bicep bulged out of his short sleeved practice jersey during his chat with the press this week. He has played a lot of rugby in 2015, which has probably been his most physically demanding year so far. Kolbe played every minute for the Stormers, and was only rested in their final league match of the campaign against the Sharks. It’s actually remarkable that he didn’t sustain an injury.
He hasn’t been quite at his best in the Currie Cup for Western Province, which could be a sign of fatigue. But Kolbe doesn’t think tiredness is an issue, although he admits that it’s been a bit of a “slow start” for him in the Currie Cup.
“I’m still young and I feel fresh, so I can’t complain. I just want to play,” he said.
After two successive defeats, WP coach John Dobson will be hoping that Saturday’s match against Griquas at Newlands will see Kolbe wake up from his Currie Cup slumber. The crowd hopes so too.