In a podcast interview with Steven Kitshoff, Kolbe reflects on why his two years with the Blitzboks were foundational rather than just a stepping stone. His argument is specific: sevens sharpened his one-on-one defence at a time when that weakness was actively costing him Springbok selection, while simultaneously developing his attacking instincts in space. The physical transition back to XVs was brutal — he lost significant weight in sevens camp — but the conditioning and mental hardening he gained outweighed the adjustment cost. Kolbe's broader point is that the sevens-to-XVs pipeline is undervalued as a development route, and he names Neil Powell, Paul Treu, Frankie Horne and Kyle Brown as key figures in that system.