Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe has signed with Jay-Z’s sports management agency, Roc Nation Sports, a division of the hip-hop mogul’s entertainment company.

Roc Nation is an American-based full-service entertainment company, inclusive of artist and athlete management, labelling, publishing, touring, film, television and new ventures founded and owned by renowned hip-hop artist and business tycoon Jay-Z.

Confirmation of Kolbe’s moves to Roc Nation makes him just the second rugby player, after Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, to sign with the agency. Kolisi joined the company in December 2019.

Michael Yormark, who heads up the company’s sports division – launched in 2013 – says Kolbe’s drive to succeed fits the company’s spirit.

‘Cheslin’s desire to prove wrong all those who told him that it would be impossible to succeed in rugby because of his size led him to the top,’ Yormark told French sports daily L’Equipe.

‘It is an example of what you can achieve through desire and fits our spirit perfectly.’

The 26-year-old Kolbe, who was one of the stars of the Springboks’ World Cup campaign, said he joined the agency because he bought into Jay-Z’s vision and philosophy.

‘It’s to improve the lives of people, especially those of athletes who often earn a lot of money at a very young age and then have no one, or not the right people, to guide them and help them invest in the future,’ he said.

‘Roc Nation is really there to create a context of success for the sportsman and his family.’

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