CHESLIN KOLBE

Springbok star Cheslin Kolbe has won two Rugby World Cups while proving his critics wrong, but he also wants to be remembered for making an impact off the field.

- CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

It's a hot summer's day in Cape Town. The moment Cheslin Kolbe enters, the studio hall is filled with an electrifying energy that can only be sparked by the presence of a superstar. However, after being met with a smile and a friendly handshake, it soon becomes evident that this is one of the most humble, down-to-earth 'okes' you will ever meet...

SETTING THE STANDARD

Cheslin made his Springbok debut in 2018 after moving from the Stormers to French club giants Toulouse and has since become the world's best winger. He scored a famous try in the Boks' 2019 World Cup final victory against England in Japan, and had crossed the try line 18 times in 40 Test matches by the end of 2024. The double World Cup winner has twice been nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year, in 2019 and 2024, and considered unlucky not to win it at least once.

Cheslin comes from a sporting family, with his dad having played for local rugby club Hands & Heart as an inside centre, and his cousin Wayde van Niekerk famously winning the 400m gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in a world record time.

“I never thought that something like this would ever happen to me,” Cheslin says humbly when I congratulate him on becoming a back-to-back world champion. “Winning one World Cup is massive, so doing it twice in a row? I don’t think words can describe it.

“A lot of sacrifice, hard work and emotion went into it. We wanted to fly the South African flag high and bring gold back to South Africa. We knew what it would mean to the country if we could pull it through.

“Yes, at times people outside [the squad] doubted whether we could go all the way, but the belief within the group, and the buy-in from all the players and management, was immense.