Pocket rocket Kolbe had ‘a lot of fun’ at scrumhalf
The Springbok winger's temporary stint in the position had former national coach Nick Mallett believing he's far better there than one might think.
Cheslin Kolbe during the South African national rugby team arrival press conference at Intercontinental Hotel, OR Tambo Airport on August 12, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images)
Cheslin Kolbe readily admits he enjoyed standing in at scrumhalf for ten minutes during the Springboks’ Rugby Championship clincher against Argentina at the weekend.
The 25-year-old pocket rocket was forced into the temporary role at a crucial stage of the game following the sin-binning of Faf de Klerk early in the second half.
“When Faf got that yellow, I was just told to go play there,” Kolbe said with a smile on Monday.
“I really had a lot of fun playing at No 9, but I felt like I had blown out my lungs after that! It was intense but a very good experience.”
What did you make of @Cheslin_Kolbe11‘s performance today? He stepped into the scrumhalf role flawlessly when Faf de Klerk was in the sin bin and bagged a try on the wing ????????????#RugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/icui6C8fev
— SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) August 10, 2019
Interestingly, former national coach Nick Mallett believes the Boks might’ve stumbled onto a very useful weapon going into next month’s World Cup.
“He’s been playing fantastic rugby on the wing but in this instance where he had to move to scrumhalf, he did so quite seamlessly,” he said as pundit for SuperSport.
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“I’m not sure how much rugby Kolbe ever played at No 9 and yet he looked so comfortable there. From a World Cup perspective, it allows us to think of perhaps taking two specialist scrumhalves with Kolbe to cover and that liberates another position in the backline or in the forwards.”
And by all accounts Kolbe himself took the role very seriously, even if its unlikely that he’ll be used in that role by design.
Cheslin Kolbe of South Africa passes the ball during a match between Argentina and South Africa as part of The Rugby Championship 2019 at Padre Ernesto Martearena Stadium on August 10, 2019 in Salta, Argentina. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
“I didn’t think much about it, it was about fitting in to the position as quickly as possible. I tried to get guidance from (flyhalf) Handre (Pollard) as quickly as possible, especially in terms of communcation,” he said.
“Wherever I can add value to the team is fine with me. I certainly didn’t mind.”
Once he returned to his natural position, the Toulouse star was rewarded for a bustling, courageous performance with a try and a bit of freedom on attack.
While he was undoubtedly granted the platform by a rampant pack of forwards, Kolbe’s pace was a nice reminder of his attacking potential.
After all, his international career to date has been more about illustrating his newfound maturity and versatility, particularly on defence.
“Personally, I still feel I’m the same player that left two years ago,” said Kolbe.
“Super Rugby is fast and many of the backs are the same size. In France, you’re up against some really big guys, but it also gives you an opportunity to exploit them if you’re smaller and faster.”
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