Springbok flank Siya Kolisi is relishing his responsibility as a father and a senior member of a young Stormers team, writes JON CARDINELLI.
Each chapter of the Siya Kolisi story is more inspiring than the last. The skinny township boy who caught the eye of scouts and won a scholarship to a big rugby school in Port Elizabeth.The teenager who fulfilled his father’s dream by wearing the famous blue and white hoops of Western Province. The young man who was left so battered and broken by muggers that he was unable to make his senior debut for the Stormers. The mature adult who recovered from those injuries to represent the Cape franchise and the Springboks on the biggest stages of world rugby.
Last year promised to deliver Kolisi’s greatest chapter to date. After warming the Bok bench on 13 occasions between 2013 and 2015, he was backed to start in all three Tests against Ireland.
Kolisi would have added more caps to his 16-Test tally if not for a season-ending ankle injury sustained in the Super Rugby quarter-final against the Chiefs.
Yet, what transpired off the pitch marked 2016 as a year to remember. One particular photograph, taken on Kolisi’s wedding day in August, captured the man’s sense of accomplishment. It featured Kolisi’s bride Rachel, their son Nicholas (1) and Kolisi’s half-siblings Liyema (14) and Liphelo (9). Five individuals who comprised one big happy South African family.
‘It’s frustrating to think I was out of rugby for five months, but when I look back, I realise what a great opportunity it was to spend some time with my family,’ Kolisi tells SA Rugby magazine. ‘My wife and I went on honeymoon to Zimbabwe and Botswana, which we wouldn’t have been able to do if I was fit and available for that Rugby Championship Test against Argentina in Nelspruit.’
The time off allowed Kolisi to bond with his son and his half-brother and half-sister.
The story behind his adoption of those two children is touching.
A couple of years ago, Kolisi was told by a cousin that Liyema and Liphelo’s father had passed away and the pair had been handed over to social services. After a long process, which involved travelling to the Eastern Cape and tracking the children down, Kolisi became their legal guardian.
‘I’m lucky I have Rachel in my life, because raising three kids is a tough job,’ he says. ‘She is the heart of our family. Initially, she put her own dreams and career on hold to look after the family, and she did it all so that I could play rugby. She’s started to work again, but still makes the time to look after the three kids and myself. She’s a star.
‘As for me, I’m 25 going on 26, but I feel much older. I feel like I’ve had to mature a lot over the past few years. I need to be a role model, because they are going to be watching me to see what I do. My son is going to be watching, too.’
Just as Kolisi’s role at home has changed, so too has his role at the Stormers. The Cape franchise has lost some experienced players to overseas clubs in recent times; 86-Test veteran Schalk Burger being the most recent. Kolisi is now one of the most capped forwards at the franchise, and a Bok to boot.
He realises that many of his teammates will be looking to him to produce the big plays in this year’s Super Rugby tournament.
‘I have to be a leader at home, so I suppose it does come naturally,’ he says. ‘I’ve never been a man of many words; I prefer to let my actions do the talking. I will put pressure on myself to perform and inspire those around me.
‘I was feeling confident last year, right up to the point when I got injured. But I was not at my absolute best. I was still getting there. I’m the kind of guy who knows when he’s at his best; I don’t need anybody from the outside to tell me that.
‘That’s what I’m working towards this season,’ he continues. ‘I need to make the most of my opportunities, and then maybe I will get another chance to play for the Boks. I certainly want to play Test rugby again, but I realise I have to prove myself in Super Rugby first.’
During his tenure as national coach, Heyneke Meyer felt the 1.88m, 105kg Kolisi wasn’t big enough to play blindside flank for the Boks. Between 2012 and 2015, then Stormers coach Allister Coetzee used Kolisi in all three loose-forward positions.
In 2016, Robbie Fleck backed Kolisi at blindside flank in Super Rugby, while Coetzee, in his capacity as Bok coach, entrusted him with those duties in the Tests against Ireland. Kolisi feels this consistency in selection allowed him to find some form.
‘You need to establish yourself and settle in one position. I will always be up for covering other positions if the coach asks that of me, but at the moment, I’m enjoying playing No 7. And if I’m being honest with myself, there are better openside flankers than me in this country. All in all, it has helped to focus on one position.
‘People think that a blindside flank should look to bash through opponents,’ Kolisi says when he’s pressed to explain why he feels he’s better suited to blindside than openside. ‘I’m not a traditional No 7, and I’m not afraid to say so. I’m not the biggest player in the world, so I’m going to try to beat defenders by using my feet.
‘That’s not to say I won’t front up to the head-on collisions. I’m up for that challenge, but I would prefer to play a bit differently. People are getting stronger every day, so you need to do something more to get over the gainline.’
After missing so much rugby in 2016, Kolisi won’t be drawn into talk about World Cup goals. In 2015, he featured in just two matches at the global tournament and spent a total of 36 minutes on the pitch. If he stays fit, he could go to the next World Cup in 2019 as a senior player.
For the moment, though, Kolisi remains bent on taking his game to the next level. Later this season, he hopes to boost the Boks as they look to restore some pride to a battered brand. He’s also mindful of his ability, and ultimately his responsibility, to inspire the next generation of players.
‘It’s my goal this season to work harder than my opposite number in every single match, no matter who he is,’ Kolisi says.
‘Overall, I want South African rugby to do well; I’m talking about all the players and teams in the Super Rugby competition. This is going to be a big year for all of us. All the players and unions need to fight to gain some respect after such a disappointing 2016 season.
‘As rugby players we have the opportunity to touch so many lives, and it’s something I don’t take for granted. You see all the children in this country, be they black, coloured or white – they are the future. You want to inspire and influence them.
‘You want them to remember you for the right reasons.’ Some might say that they already do.
– This article first appeared in the March 2017 issue of SA Rugby magazine
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