# Cheslin Kolbe

Cheslin Kolbe (born 28 October 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for Tokyo Sungoliath in the Japan Rugby League One and the South Africa national team. His regular position is wing, but he also plays at fullback. He has also recently featured at fly half for Toulouse in the Top 14, and as a scrum half internationally. Kolbe was a member of the South Africa Sevens team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He has won the Rugby World Cup twice with South Africa, in 2019 and 2023. Kolbe was nominated for 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year but lost to teammate Pieter-Steph du Toit. He previously played for Toulouse, Toulon, Stormers, and Western Province. He has also won the Rugby Championship and the Lions Series with the Springboks, the Top14 and Champions Cup with Toulouse, the Currie Cup with Western Province, and the Challenge Cup with Toulon. He is one of the highest paid rugby players in the world, with a reported salary of between ¥130–155 million yen per season.
He has scored 14 tries in 31 tests for South Africa. Kolbe is known for his defensive capabilities despite his diminutive frame, his speed and stepping ability, as well as his power in contact. He made his debut for South Africa in 2018 in a 23–18 loss to Australia. He is widely regarded as one of the best wingers of his generation.

## Early life

Kolbe played for Hoërskool Brackenfell. He represented Western Province at various youth levels, from the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2009 to the 2012 Under-21 Provincial Championship.

## Club career
### Western Province

He made his provincial first class debut in their Vodacom Cup match against Boland Cavaliers. and a month later he was named on the bench for the Stormers for their Super Rugby game against the Sharks.
In October 2014, he was part of the Western Province team that won the Currie Cup by beating the Lions 19–16.
He penned a three-year deal to remain at Western Province until 2016.

### Toulouse

Kolbe moved to France to join Top 14 side Toulouse for the 2017–2018 season. Kolbe received a call-up to the South Africa national team for the 2018 Rugby Championship. He made his debut for South Africa against Australia on 8 September, during Round Three of the competition, coming on in the 33rd minute as an injury replacement for Makazole Mapimpi, in a match that South Africa lost 18–23.
In June 2019, Kolbe started for Stade Toulousain in the Top 14 final winning the French Championship. In 2021 Kolbe won both the European Cup and the Top 14 with Toulouse.

## International career

Kolbe made his test debut in 2018 and played an important part in Springboks winning the 2019 Rugby Championship. On 2 November, Kolbe was part of the 2019 World-Cup winning team in Japan, scoring a try late in the second half of the Final against England. Kolbe was again instrumental in the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa, starting in all three test matches and the South Africa A match. Kolbe scored the Springboks' only try in the third and deciding test of the tour to propel South Africa to a series win. He was also instrumental to victory in the 2023 World Cup, where he received a yellow card and was sent off for a deliberate knock-on in the last ten minutes of the World Cup final, as South Africa held on to win 12–11 against New Zealand.

### South Africa Under-20

In 2013, he was included in the training group that toured Argentina in preparation for the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship. He was then included in the squad for the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship.

### National sevens team

Between 2012 and 2017, he represented the South Africa Sevens team. In 2013, he was included in the squad for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Kolbe was included in a 12-man squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He was named as a substitute for their first match in Group B of the competition against Spain, with South Africa winning the match 24–0.

## Honours

Western Province
* 2014 Currie Cup winner
Toulouse
* Heineken Cup European Champions/European Rugby Champions Cup: 2021
* Top 14 French League : 2019, 2021
Toulon
* European Challenge Cup: 2022–23
South Africa
* 2019 Rugby Championship winner
* 2019 Rugby World Cup winner
* 2019 World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year nominee
* 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa winner
* 2023 Qatar Airways Cup vs New Zealand at Twickenham winner
* 2023 Rugby World Cup winner
* 2024 Rugby Championship winner
South Africa 7's
* 2016 Olympics Bronze medal

### Test Match record

    As of 16 November 2024
| Against | P | W | D | L | Tri | Pts | %Won |
| Argentina | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 100 |
| Australia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| British and Irish Lions | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 66.67 |
| England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 100 |
| France | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 66.67 |
| Italy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 100 |
| Ireland | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 25 |
| Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 100 |
| New Zealand | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 50 |
| Scotland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Wales | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 75 |
| Total | 39 | 28 | 1 | 10 | 18 | 111 | 71.79 |
Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored

### Test tries (18)

| Try | Opposition | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
| 1 | New Zealand | Wellington, New Zealand | Westpac Stadium | 2018 Rugby Championship | 15 September 2018 | Win | 34–36 |
| 2 | New Zealand | Pretoria, South Africa | Loftus Versfeld | 2018 Rugby Championship | 6 October 2018 | Loss | 30–32 |
| 3 | Argentina | Salta, Argentina | Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena | 2019 Rugby Championship | 10 August 2019 | Win | 13–46 |
| 4 | Japan | Kumagaya, Japan | Kumagaya Rugby Stadium | Test match | 6 September 2019 | Win | 7–41 |
| 5 | Japan | Kumagaya, Japan | Kumagaya Rugby Stadium | Test match | 6 September 2019 | Win | 7–41 |
| 6 | Italy | Fukuroi, Japan | Shizuoka Stadium | 2019 Rugby World Cup | 4 October 2019 | Win | 3–49 |
| 7 | Italy | Fukuroi, Japan | Shizuoka Stadium | 2019 Rugby World Cup | 4 October 2019 | Win | 3–49 |
| 8 | England | Yokohama, Japan | International Stadium Yokohama | 2019 Rugby World Cup Final | 2 November 2019 | Win | 12–32 |
| 9 | British and Irish Lions | Cape Town, South Africa | Cape Town Stadium | 2021 British & Irish Lions tour | 7 August 2021 | Win | 19–16 |
| 10 | Wales | Pretoria, South Africa | Loftus Versfeld Stadium | 2022 Wales tour | 2 July 2022 | Win | 32–29 |
| 11 | Italy | Genoa, Italy | Luigi Ferraris Stadium | 2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals | 19 November 2022 | Win | 21–63 |
| 12 | New Zealand | Auckland, New Zealand | Mount Smart Stadium | 2023 Rugby Championship | 15 July 2023 | Loss | 35–20 |
| 13 | Ireland | Saint-Denis, France | Stade de France | 2023 Rugby World Cup | 23 September 2023 | Loss | 8–13 |
| 14 | France | Saint-Denis, France | Stade de France | 2023 Rugby World Cup | 15 October 2023 | Win | 28–29 |
| 15 | Ireland | Pretoria, South Africa | Loftus Versfeld Stadium | 2024 Ireland tour of South Africa | 6 July 2024 | Win | 27–20 |
| 16 | Argentina | Mbombela, South Africa | Mbombela Stadium | 2024 Rugby Championship | 28 September 2024 | Win | 48–7 |
| 17 | England | London, England | Twickenham Stadium | 2024 end-of-year rugby union internationals | 16 November 2024 | Win | 20–29 |
| 18 | England | London, England | Twickenham Stadium | 2024 end-of-year rugby union internationals | 16 November 2024 | Win | 20–29 |

## Personal life

Kolbe married Layla Cupido in 2018 and they have three children together.
He is a devout Christian.
Kolbe is a cousin of famous South African track and field sprinter Wayde van Niekerk, who won the gold medal in the 400 metres at the 2016 Olympics and is the current 300m and 400m world record holder.