23 September 2019, by: Quintin Van Jaarsveld

Best Boks: Kolbe stood tall in battle of the giants

In the battle of the giants in Yokohama on Saturday, it was the diminutive Cheslin Kolbe who stood head and shoulders above his teammates, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

Few Springboks played to their full potential in the blockbuster Rugby World Cup Pool B clash against the All Blacks. At the top of that list was Kolbe – all 1.7m and 74kg of him. One of the smallest players on the park, the right-winger made the biggest impact from a South African perspective, and led the match stats in all three key attacking areas. The tiny tornado racked up 124m in nine runs, while making three clean breaks and beating an unheard of 11 defenders.

As incredible as these stats are, especially in the context of the contest – in which the Springboks were otherwise predictable with ball-in-hand – the numbers don’t tell the full story of the diminutive dynamo’s brilliance.

His breaks in the 45th minute, after taking an up-and-under in his half, and slicing run in the 75th minute were breath-taking, the 25-year-old bamboozling All Blacks defenders with his fancy footwork and unrivalled desire. From a Springbok point of view, it was unfortunate that they weren’t able to finish off those two moments of magic.

What made Kolbe’s performance truly special was the fact that he was equally exceptional without the ball. His kick-chasing was exemplary. The timing of his runs and determination put him in a position to contest in the air, and his impressive leaping ability and unparalleled hunger saw him win the contest more often than not.

His total commitment also gave the Springboks excellent field position when he rushed up from a restart and forced replacement scrumhalf TJ Perenara into a poor clearance on the 22m line in the 66th minute.

Defensively, he was sensational under the high ball – brave and technically superb. In just his 11th Test, he looked like a seasoned veteran on the game’s grandest stage. He was by far the most composed of the back three, and it’s those nerves of steel in front of 70,000-plus fans that enabled him to cut out errors.

In contrast, Willie le Roux – in his 57th Test – was shocking under Garryowens, while Makazole Mapimpi’s dodgy one-on-one defence was once again exploited.

Kolbe did miss three of his nine attempted tackles, but he hung on every time it mattered most. Given it was a dire defensive display by the Springboks as a whole, three slip-ups were about par for the course, with captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Duane Vermeulen and Lukhanyo Am all missing three hits, while Franco Mostert and Faf de Klerk each missed four.

In Kolbe, the Springboks have found lightning in a bottle. His call-up to the national side may have been overdue, but at 25, the Toulouse-based star still has a long and bright international career ahead of him.

The other standout Springbok on the day was the ever-determined Du Toit. He put his body on the line to the extent that he nearly broke down. Fortunately for South Africa, the die-hard blindside flank was able to soldier on after receiving some medical attention on his knee.

The 2018 South African Player of the Year made a match-high 13 tackles, hit the ball up seven times for 21 metres and showed good wherewithal to trot over untouched from the ruck to put the Springboks back into the contest. Granted, it wasn’t his best performance, but he was certainly the pick of the forwards.

Vermeulen deserves a special mention on the occasion of his 50th Test. While not at the peak of his powers, he activated beast mode on occasion and made a dangerous break that almost resulted in a try. His 23m, from 11 carries, was the most by a Springbok forward. He was a key presence at the rucks as well, where he sacked Aaron Smith more than once.

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