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The key intel Cheslin Kolbe had for crucial charge down in South Africa win
By Josh Raisey
No one knew just how important Cheslin Kolbe’s charge down was going to be when he stopped France’s Thomas Ramos from converting a try in the first-half of their World Cup quarter-final encounter on Sunday.
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The South Africa winger raced down his left wing at the Stade de France to block the conversion after Peato Mauvaka’s try, keeping the scores level at 12-12 before the Springboks would go on and narrowly win by one point, 29-28, an hour later. It is a seldom seen feat in rugby, and one that ultimately made all the difference for the reigning world champions as they booked a place in the semi-finals against England.
Fortunately for the 2019 World Cup final try scorer, he had a key piece of intel going into the match that helped him in this situation. The 29-year-old said that playing alongside Ramos at Toulouse for a number of years gave him a greater understanding about the France fullback’s kicking technique and run-up to kick, which meant he knew when to start his run. He timed the run to perfection and was able to save his side two precious points.
“I think it definitely helped that I played with Tomas for six years and knew what he was doing,” Kolbe was quoted by Netwerk24.
Kolbe also responded to claims that he cheated by setting off before Ramos had begun his run-up, saying: “I did everything by the book and within the rules. I was behind the line before he started his run.”
Kolbe’s head coach Jacques Nienaber praised the winger after the match for chasing what appeared to be a “lost cause”.
“Cheslin’s charge-down (of a Thomas Ramos goal kick), you don’t see that often – somebody chasing a lost cause,” he said. “We were opened up a couple of times but the scrambling, the effort the players put in was enormous.”
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