Boks star Cheslin Kolbe says he’s still learning new ‘tricks’

He may be something of a veteran in the team, a seasoned pro who’s won two World Cup winners’ medals, but Cheslin Kolbe says he is still learning about rugby and the youngsters in the current Springbok set-up are showing him a few new “tricks”.

Kolbe has once again been one of the stars of the Boks’ run in the Rugby Championship, which has seen them win four out of four games to lead the competition with 18 log points. Argentina are second (10), followed by New Zealand and Australia, who are out of the running to win the title this year.

If the Boks win in Santiago against the Pumas next Saturday they’ll bag the competition title, but should they lose, it will all come down to the final game in Mbombela, between the same teams, on September 28.

‘All about growing’

Kolbe, who debut for the Boks in 2018, has become one of the game’s biggest players and in recent times he’s not only dazzled opponents and fans with his nifty footwork and speed, he’s also performed well in tasks generally undertaken by other players in his team – like feeding the scrum and throwing the ball into the lineout.

“I’ve been given the license to be myself, and play what’s in front of me, but I’m still learning,” Kolbe told SportsBoom this week.

“I always have to come up with something new because teams are analysing me but it’s all about growing, and this season is no different.”

The 30-year-old added he was enjoying his time in the current Bok set-up which has seen several young stars of the future get a chance to show what they can do, men like Sacha Feinberg Mngomezulu, Aphelele Fassi, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Ruan Nortje, Ben-Jason Dixon, Johan Grobbelaar, Elrigh Louw and Gerhard Steenekamp.

“The guys coming through bring a high level of energy into the team,” revealed Kolbe.

“I’ve been trying to learn and pick up from the things they do whether it’s in the gym or at training, because it brings up something different to my style of play.”

He added: “You’d swear they’ve been in the team for five years. Their composure, and how well they remain calm under pressure are impressive. They have a lot of new tricks, and I’m trying to grab as much and stay on par with them,” he concluded.

Rugby Championship

Kolbe has been left out of the Boks’ squad for the trip to Argentina, to rest and recover for the remainder of the international season. He admitted that while the Boks have performed well so far in the Rugby Championship the job was not done.

“We had a good start, playing our first two Tests in Australia where we didn’t have a good record there for a couple of years.

“We couldn’t ask for a better start with two bonus point wins and coming back to our country and playing in front of our home crowd was special. We’re undefeated up until now but we haven’t been playing our best rugby.

“We can’t get carried away, there’s so much to improve on and learn from especially the two New Zealand matches. That’s the beauty of the sport, we have another opportunity in the next couple of weeks, the job isn’t done.”