Cheslin Kolbe admits he is strangely feeling more nervous ahead of this weekend’s Champions Cup final than he did before the 2019 World Cup title decider.
Kolbe has been a star performer for Toulouse once again this season, with his French club aiming to end the club’s long wait for a fifth European title when they face La Rochelle at Twickenham on Saturday.
‘I’ve been fortunate enough to play in a few finals,’ Kolbe said as quoted by The 42.
‘Funnily enough, I spoke to my wife last night and said for some reason, the final this weekend just feels much more nerve-racking than the World Cup final I played in. I’m not sure what the reason for that is.
‘It’s two great French teams coming up against each other, and the nerves and the butterflies are already starting to show, but I think that’s a good sign as well. I just need to make sure I prepare well throughout the week before we leave for England, and hopefully the nerves calm down with the preparation we put in.’
Toulouse will be coming up against an impressive La Rochelle side making their first appearance in a Champions Cup final.
‘In a final, it’s not the team that pulls out the best trick on the day; it’s the team that’s been detailed throughout the week and focused on the plan the coaches want to implement. I think it’s going to be the team that implements it the best on the day [that wins].
‘It’s going to be a game where discipline and defence are probably going to be the key factors.
‘So, we need to just focus on our detail, focus on our plan and implement it to the best of our abilities and then, whenever there is opportunities for us as players within the structure to capitalise, we need to bring our own natural ability towards the game to hopefully crack it open in some way.’
