Kolisi hails 'best ever' Springbok coach Rassie

SIYA Kolisi was humility personified on Thursday evening at the SA Rugby Players Awards when he dedicated his Spirit of 1995 Award to his Springbok teammates while hailing coach Rassie Erasmus as the best coach the game has seen.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

Kolisi is the first recipient of the Spirit of 1995 Award, which honours the first Springbok team to win the World Cup, and at the first attempt.

Kolisi — who was also honoured for his 100th Test cap on the November tour — received the award for his “exceptional contribution in uplifting the game and the nation, through the example of inclusivity and ubuntu, demonstrating iconic and inspirational leadership to the sport and the country, in the footsteps of the example set by Nelson Mandela in 1995”.

An emotional Kolisi said, “It is tough to get an individual award when you are playing a team sport.

Nothing any individual achieves is without the team, so it is really special.