Cheslin Kolbe (born 28 October 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player who plays primarily as a wing for the Stormers and the South Africa national team. Renowned for his speed, agility, and footwork, he rose from Kraaifontein, Cape Town, to become one of rugby's most influential backs. After representing and the Stormers, Kolbe starred for the South African sevens team, winning bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, before making his Springboks debut in 2018. He has since played a key role in South Africa's Rugby World Cup (RWC) triumphs in 2019 and 2023, including scoring a famous try in the 2019 final.
At club level, Kolbe won the Currie Cup with Western Province, the Top 14 and European Rugby Champions Cup with Toulouse, and later played for Toulon before joining Tokyo Sungoliath in 2023. Off the field, he supports disadvantaged youth through the Be The Difference Foundation and his own Cheslin Kolbe Foundation.
Early life Kolbe played for Hoërskool Brackenfell. He represented at various youth levels, from the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2009 to the 2012 Under-21 Provincial Championship.
Club career Western Province He made his provincial first class debut in their Vodacom Cup match against . and a month later he was named on the bench for the for their Super Rugby game against the ., then he took a year out to join moyvalley rugby club
In October 2014, he was part of the Western Province team that won the Currie Cup by beating the Lions 19–16.http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/CurrieCup/WP-crowned-Currie-Cup-champs-20141025/accessdate=2015-09-14
He penned a three-year deal to remain at Western Province until 2016.
Toulouse
Kolbe moved to France to join Top 14 side for the 2017–2018 season. Kolbe received a call-up to the South Africa national team for the 2018 Rugby Championship. He made his debut for South Africa against on 8 September, during Round Three of the competition, coming on in the 33rd minute as an injury replacement for Makazole Mapimpi, in a match that South Africa lost 18–23.
In June 2019, Kolbe started for Stade Toulousain in the Top 14 final winning the French Championship. In 2021 Kolbe won both the European Cup and the Top 14 with Toulouse.
Tokyo Sungoliath In June 2023, Kolbe signed for the Tokyo Sungoliath in the first division of the Japan Rugby League One (JRLO), ahead of the 2023–24 season. Kolbe's contract with Toulon was up at the conclusion of the 2022–23 Top 14 season. Although it was reported that the Cape Town-based Stormers had offered Kolbe R11 and R15 million rand deals (for which Kolbe is said to have turned down), Western Province Rugby said it made no formal offer. Kolbe was one of three, alongside former New Zealand captain Sam Cane and Welsh fly-half Gareth Anscombe, high-profile international players in the Sungoliath squad for the 2023–24 season.
Kolbe started in all but one of his 43 games for the team across three seasons (2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26). Although Kolbe never won a title with the team, he was consistently one of the highest scoring players in the competition, finishing with over 20 tries, and over 200 points in his last season; the top scorer.
Throughout 2024, 2025, and 2026, Kolbe was reported to be one of the highest-paid rugby union players in the world, the highest paid player in Japan, and the highest-paid South African international.
Stormers In May 2026, it was confirmed that Kolbe would be returning to the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship (URC) ahead of their 2026–27 season. This marked his first appearance in South African domestic rugby for nearly ten years. Kolbe had been linked with the Stormers, his home team, since his time in the French Top 14. An Afrikaans news source reported in the same month that the Stormers were in talks with other South African international players like Damian de Allende and Eben Etzebeth.
International career Kolbe made his test debut in 2018 and played an important part in Springboks winning the 2019 Rugby Championship. On 2 November, Kolbe was part of the 2019 World-Cup winning team in Japan, scoring a try late in the second half of the Final against England. Kolbe was again instrumental in the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa, starting in all three test matches and the South Africa A match. Kolbe scored the Springboks' only try in the third and deciding test of the tour to propel South Africa to a series win. He was also instrumental to victory in the 2023 World Cup, where he received a yellow card and was sent off for a deliberate knock-on in the last ten minutes of the World Cup final, as South Africa held on to win 12–11 against New Zealand.
South Africa Under-20 In 2013, he was included in the training group that toured Argentina in preparation for the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship. He was then included in the squad for the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship.
National sevens team Between 2012 and 2017, he represented the South Africa Sevens team. In 2013, he was included in the squad for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Kolbe was included in a 12-man squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He was named as a substitute for their first match in Group B of the competition against Spain, with South Africa winning the match 24–0.
Honours Western Province 2014 Currie Cup winner
Toulouse Heineken Cup European Champions/European Rugby Champions Cup: 2021 Top 14 French League : 2019, 2021
Toulon European Challenge Cup: 2022–23
South Africa 2019 Rugby Championship winner 2019 Rugby World Cup winner 2019 World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year nominee 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa winner 2023 Qatar Airways Cup vs New Zealand at Twickenham winner 2023 Rugby World Cup winner 2024 Rugby Championship winner 2025 Rugby Championship winner SA Rugby Awards SA Rugby Men's Player of the Year: 2024 South Africa 7's 2016 Olympics Bronze medal
Test Match record
Against P W D L Tri Pts %Won 6 6 0 0 3 15 5 4 0 1 0 0 3 2 0 1 1 5 4 4 0 0 4 30 4 3 0 1 1 13 3 3 0 0 3 23 5 2 0 3 2 13 3 3 0 0 2 10 13 7 1 5 5 56 2 2 0 0 0 0 5 4 0 1 1 5 Total 53 40 1 12 22 170 Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored
Test tries (22)
Try Opposition Location Venue Competition Date Result Score1 Wellington, New Zealand Westpac Stadium 2018 Rugby Championship Win 34–362 Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld 2018 Rugby Championship Loss 30–323 Salta, Argentina Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena 2019 Rugby Championship Win 13–464 Kumagaya, Japan Kumagaya Rugby Stadium Test match Win 7–4156 Fukuroi, Japan Shizuoka Stadium 2019 Rugby World Cup Win 3–4978 Yokohama, Japan International Stadium Yokohama 2019 Rugby World Cup Final Win 12–329 Cape Town, South Africa Cape Town Stadium 2021 British & Irish Lions tour Win 19–1610 Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium 2022 Wales tour Win 32–2911 Genoa, Italy Luigi Ferraris Stadium 2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals Win 21–6312 Auckland, New Zealand Mount Smart Stadium 2023 Rugby Championship Loss 35–2013 Saint-Denis, France Stade de France 2023 Rugby World Cup Loss 8–1314 Saint-Denis, France Stade de France 2023 Rugby World Cup Win 28–2915 Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld Stadium 2024 Ireland tour of South Africa Win 27–2016 Mbombela, South Africa Mbombela Stadium 2024 Rugby Championship Win 48–717 London, England Twickenham Stadium 2024 end-of-year rugby union internationals Win 20–291819 Wellington, New Zealand Wellington Regional Stadium 2025 Rugby Championship Win 10–432021 Durban, South Africa Kings Park Stadium 2025 Rugby Championship Win 67–3022 Johannesburg, South Africa Ellis Park Stadium 2026 Nations Championship Win 45–21
Personal life Kolbe married Layla Cupido in 2018 and they have three children together.
He is a devout Christian.
Kolbe is a cousin of famous South African track and field sprinter Wayde van Niekerk, who won the gold medal in the 400 metres at the 2016 Olympics and is the current 400m world record holder.
References
External links
Cheslin Kolbe at Springboks