Mpengu urges Alex rugby players to emulate Kolbe’s rise to stardom
ALEXANDRA – We may lack rugby role models in the township but that does not mean we cannot rise to stardom, says Elias Mpengu.
Aspiring rugby players in Alexandra have been advised to take a leaf from the storybook of Cheslin Kolbe and consider following in his footsteps in their journey to stardom.
The call was made by seasoned rugby coach Elias Mpengu, who is also co-ordinator of schools rugby in Alex, and also manager of the Alexandra Rugby Football Club and volunteer coach at Gordon Primary School, during an interview with Alex News.
“I wish many of the young and aspiring rugby players in the township could emulate Kolbe and follow in his footsteps to stardom. We may lack rugby role models in the township but that does not mean we cannot emulate a person who came from a similar background and rose to stardom.”
He stressed that the conditions under which Kolbe grew up are no different to Alexandra as they are both characterised by deprivation, poverty, lack of amenities and role models.
Kolbe has had to overcome so much to become the South African hero that he is today. He grew up surrounded by crime and was considered by many to be too small to play professional rugby, let alone become an international superstar.
The new Momentum Insure television commercial that is produced by the Brave Group and partner agencies shows him seeing his younger self in the mirror while he stands before it in his rugby gear. The juxtaposition is telling of how he felt unsafe when he was young.
Gang violence was rife in Kraaifontein, where Kolbe grew up. He had some dangerous experiences as a youngster, and he followed his dad whenever he went to the training field.
“Wherever he played on weekends, I always went there, stood next to the field, and obviously supported him,” said Kolbe who wanted to become a professional rugby player because of his dad.
“My dad never had that opportunity because of apartheid but I saw a bigger picture.”
There was also the issue that Kolbe was smaller than the other kids his age. “I played in the streets – touch rugby, physical rugby – and we would literally go full-on at each other, with blood running and bruises.”
Kolbe said this pushed him forward despite his size and made him a stronger person. It ignited a feeling of security in his ability, to become the player that would make his younger self proud and to succeed.
