The Case for Kolbe
How Cheslin Kolbe could pick up the mantle from Fourie Du Preez and play 100 tests for the Springboks
Anyone who follows my mad ravings knows that I am a huge fan of Cheslin Kolbe. At a time when South African coaches are attributing their one dimensional kick-chase game plans to a lack of skill, Kolbe stands out as perhaps the most gifted ballplayer in South African rugby - the kind of player that can win games with a moment of brilliance that few others are capable of.
Kolbe was the star of the tournament last year at the Junior World Cup, dazzling with his counter attacking surges from fullback. He then made his debut in the Sevens world series and blew spectators away with his ability to read space and tear defences apart. After the Sevens series he made his Currie Cup debut for WP and was one of the top try scorers and assisters last season, playing on the wing. Anyone who sees him play cannot but be smitten with his silky skills, explosive pace, unselfish assist play and gutsy defence.
But, alas, I fear Cheslin Kolbe will never see action in the test arena unless we see some uncharacteristically innovative man management from the coaches at WP and National level. If past behaviour is an accurate predictor of future behaviour, the size’ist view in South African rugby will prevent Kolbe from being picked in the back 3 due to his dimensions. At 80kg and 1.7m he is exactly the same size as Shane Williams, the wizard who played 84 tests for Wales and 4 for the Lions, scoring 60 international tries and regularly befuddling the Bok defence. Christian Cullen for that matter was not much larger. So, while I could make a compelling case for why his size should not prevent him from going on to have a test career as successful as Williams or Cullen, that is not the point of this post.
What I want to posit is that Cheslin Kolbe should be our next Fourie Du Preez. Yes, at 9, I think Kolbe could be one of the most devastating attacking scrumhalves in world rugby. His speed, vision, step and distribution would give the Springboks a whole new dimension to their attacking game to the point where we have even more of a threat at 9 than the likes of Will Genia, Aaron Smith and others.
His all-round backline skills means that he offers huge utility benefits as well. If you watch the video below, you’ll see glimpses of how devastating he is when retrieving the ball at first phase in the sevens game where he effectively plays 9. There are lots of other good examples in XV’s where he is first to the ruck and does something special every time he gets his hands on the ball — you will have seen this in recent Stormers games if you’ve been watching.
Anyone who saw Craig Burden help Toulon with the Heineken Cup on the weekend saw the completion of a highly successful positional switch from wing to hooker that most thought was pretty ludicrous at the time it was suggested — to the point that no-one would ever have thought that Burden would tour with the Boks or get to the point where he would probably make most international sides.
When I look at the absolute dearth of world class scrumhalves in SA right now, and the over-reliance we have on Fourie Du Preez, I think the need for quality backup is clearly there. A player with Kolbe’s talent, aptitude, versatility and rugby brain should be able to make the switch very comfortably. For Cheslin himself, I think this is the most realistic path towards playing a hundred tests for the Springboks and becoming one of the all time greats.
