Cheslin Kolbe has revealed that his son barely recognising him after a six-month absence was the moment that convinced him to end his time in Japan and return to Cape Town.
"Last year, I returned after six months of not seeing my children, Kylah, Mila and Cayden, and my boy almost didn't recognise me," Kolbe said. "That made me realise it is time to come home and spend time with them."
Kolbe, who left the Stormers in 2017, has signed with the franchise through to the end of 2029. His family remained in Cape Town for much of his Sungoliath stint, and he was explicit that the motivation to return was personal rather than financial — a point underscored by the terms of the deal itself.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson acknowledged that Kolbe took a significant financial hit to make the move happen. "He would earn multiples of what he is if he stayed in Japan; he'd earn several fold on a commercial basis if he went to another franchise," Dobson said. "A lot of credit to Cheslin for making this happen because he had to do a lot of heavy lifting."
A third-party betting company contributed to securing the deal, with SA Rugby supplementing Kolbe's Stormers salary through the PONI scheme. Dobson noted there were "about four false starts over the years" in attempts to bring Kolbe back, something Kolbe confirmed. "I've tried to return a year or two ago, but that didn't work," he said.
Kolbe enters the 2026 international season on 49 Test caps and 21 Test tries, placing him joint-11th on the Springboks' all-time try-scoring list alongside Pieter Rossouw. His immediate focus, he says, is on the Springboks' upcoming international programme before turning his attention to making his debut at DHL Stadium in the blue and white hoops.