Gavin Rich traces the surprisingly fragile early chapters of Cheslin Kolbe's career in a lengthy sit-down piece that doubles as a portrait of the man behind the highlights reel. The piece anchors itself in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series — Kolbe heading into the FNB Stadium test as a 12/12 place-kicker and starting fullback — but quickly rewinds to the moments that nearly meant none of it happened. At 19, facing a crossroads after age-group rugby at WP, Kolbe seriously considered quitting to study. It was John Dobson's phone call, and his decision to play Kolbe every week in the 2012 Vodacom Cup, that changed the trajectory.
From there Rich reconstructs the full journey: the size-based prejudice that followed Kolbe from school into professional rugby and became fuel rather than anchor; the 2017 move to France made with the clear-eyed understanding it likely ended his Bok prospects; Rassie Erasmus initially ranking him fifth in the pecking order on a squad call-up triggered purely by injuries; and the Wellington interception try against the All Blacks that locked everything into place. With Kolbe now back at the Stormers under Dobson again, the piece lands as a full-circle career retrospective — and the candid detail he provides on each turning point makes it worth the read for anyone who thinks they already know the Kolbe story.