Cheslin Kolbe reveals what went through his mind during World Cup final yellow card
Cheslin Kolbe is a man with unwavering faith and it certainly came in handy during those agonising minutes in the closing stages of the World Cup Final at Stade de France in Paris.
The Bok superstar, who was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on in the 73rd minute against the All Blacks, could barely watch as his teammates hung on grimly to secure a 12-11 win while he was sitting on the sidelines.
Cameras spotted the 30-year-old pulling his jersey over his head and he eventually turned his back on the action as it all became a bit too much for him.
“Receiving a yellow card in the World Cup Final is disappointing,” Kolbe told reporters during a visit to Kraaifontein in Cape Town where he grew up.
“I was more disappointed because I let the whole nation down.
“I let my teammates down at the time.
“Looking up at the clock knowing that I was not going back on the field, I just went and sat on the chair. I pulled the jersey over my head and I was crying and praying at the same time.
“I was asking God that if this was meant for us he would pull us through in the end.
“I think that was God’s plan for me and his calling for me, which was not to finish the game even though I would have loved to.
“I think his calling for me was to go out for the last eight to 10 minutes.
“I firmly believe that was where God wanted me to be at that stage.
“To be honest with you, I didn’t hear the final whistle blow.
“One of the management staff came up to me and pulled me and that’s when I knew we won the World Cup and we were taking gold back to South Africa.
“It was a moment of complete relief.
“We know what it [the victory] does and how it unites our country and how important the victory would be for South Africa.
“It brings people together.
“I think that is what we need and hopefully we can continue with that and it doesn’t die out.”
Kolbe was accompanied by his wife Layla as he visited two schools in his hometown, one of which was his alma mater, Simonsberg Primary.
The special bond between the two was there for all to see as they inspired the next generation and Kolbe believes family played a huge role in the Springboks’ success in France and even in Japan four years earlier.
“The first thing they [Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus] said was that the culture needs to change and they created an environment where it doesn’t matter where you come from,” Kolbe explained.
“You can be yourself and others can learn from you as well.
“I think the defining point in both World Cups and the reason why we won was because they opened the Springbok door to the families.
“They allowed the families to stay with us throughout the whole World Cup.
“Speaking to some of the other players [in other teams], they didn’t have that luxury of having their families there. Maybe they could for five to 10 days or they had specific days.
“Knowing that our families are there with us after a hard day of training does bring a bit of calmness and it is refreshing.
“It can be overwhelming at times for other players because they don’t have families there, but everybody bought into it. That was very special.
“For them [family] to just share that moment and seeing how everything works was incredible.
“Yes, we sacrifice a lot but our families sacrifice way more than us. A lot of people don’t know that. They don’t know what our families go through and we as players take our hats off for what they do and how they overcome challenges at times.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Just what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
7 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
7 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to commentswel the crusaders were beaten by a queensland reds side that hadnt beaten them at home since 1999 and queensland reds partied like it was 1999
6 Go to commentsHard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
6 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
6 Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
7 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
7 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
7 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
7 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
5 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
5 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to comments