Kolbe on kicking at goal for Boks: ‘It’s about contributing to the team’

Cheslin Kolbe can play wing and fullback, he can cover at scrumhalf if needed, he can throw in at the lineout and he has now become the Springboks’ second most dependable kicker, as he continues to add strings to his bow. Only Handré Pollard will now kick ahead of Kolbe for the Boks, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok both dropping behind him in the pecking order. Kolbe’s impressive kicking has come to the fore in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks, with him nailing 11 out of 11 kicks, and seven of those proving vitally important in helping the Boks win the second Test in Cape Town over the past weekend. His three conversions and four penalties gave him an 18 point haul in their 33-26 win, which proved decisive as the All Blacks fought back late. After the match Kolbe explained that he had always been training his kicking game, since the start of his professional career, but that it had only come to the fore recently, with him becoming first choice kicker for his club team in Japan. “Kicking-wise, I’ve been doing it, and I’ve been training since I started my professional career. I just keep ticking away at it. The responsibility of taking over the goal-kicking the whole season has definitely contributed to my kicking style and my technique,” explained Kolbe. “I must also give credit to the coaches in Japan because they work quite a lot with me. Tony (Brown) at the Springbok set-up has tweaked a few things for me so that I could get more consistency. “You obviously don’t go out there wanting to miss a kick. You do your best to contribute to the team’s success. I’ll just continue to make sure that I work on the skill throughout the week. Hopefully, it pays off on the weekend.” One of Kolbe’s penalties on Saturday in Cape Town was from a fair distance, over the 10m mark near the halfway, with it just creeping over the bar, and although he admitted he was unsure of how far he can kick, he said he was just happy to be able to contribute. “I don’t know (how far I can kick). I think most of the balls tonight [Saturday] are just over the post,” Kolbe said with a laugh. “I can’t give you an honest radar of how far I can go. “You always need to bring something new to the team. You need to develop and grow as a player and individually as well. “At the end of the day, it’s contributing to the team’s success. I’m honestly blessed with the talent that I’m thankful for. I’ll just continue to keep working hard and execute to the best of my ability.” Kolbe’s kicking may continue to be vital as the Boks head into the final two Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tests against the All Blacks at the FNB Stadium in Soweto this weekend, and in Baltimore, USA next weekend.