Cheslin Kolbe: 'It would be amazing if the Springboks could join the Six Nations'

Cheslin Kolbe, the superstar Springboks wing, says it would be “amazing” if South Africa were to join an expanded Six Nations in the future to face France and Ireland, teams he regards as front-runners for the 2023 World Cup.

In a wide-ranging interview for The Telegraph Rugby Podcast, the 29-year-old explained the background behind his move from Toulouse to Toulon, heralded Rassie Erasmus as a “phenomenal human” and opened up on the challenges that his size has presented over a glittering career.

Kolbe started on Saturday as Toulon beat his old club, Toulouse, in the Top 14. At the beginning of a bumper year for Test rugby union, with South Africa due to defend their World Cup crown in France, he endorsed the long-discussed prospect of the Springboks joining the Six Nations.

“I think if it does happen, it would be massive and change the whole scenario regarding the Six Nations,” he said. “For the Springboks, it would be amazing to be part of the Six Nations. You get to play against top countries each and week when you’re part of that competition. It would be amazing if it comes off one day but who knows.”

Ange Capuozzo, the Italy full-back, has followed up an eye-catching 2022 by impressing in matches against France and England. Kolbe believes that Capuozzo can help to inspire smaller youngsters to take up the sport and remembered his own struggles in his native South Africa.

Back in 2015, two years before Kolbe joined Toulouse, it was suggested by Nick Mallett, the former Springboks coach, that he consider a switch to scrum-half. The ensuing years have rewarded Kolbe’s resilience.

“My main reason at the time for leaving South Africa, obviously I had started a family, was all the bad publicity I had got due to my stature and my size, people wanting me to change positions,” Kolbe told The Telegraph Rugby Podcast.  

“All of that was disappointing, because I thought at the time I was playing quite well where I was based, at wing or full-back, and contributed to the team that I played for – Western Province or the Stormers. It was quite disappointing but also a challenge that I accepted and made peace with. I’m always going to be getting negativity regarding my stature.

“I was all about proving people wrong at the time, that it doesn’t matter how big or small you are because this game is made for each and every person, not matter how big you are. That was a challenge I faced each and every week, with media, with coaches, with people not having the trust in me and what I can do.”

With players like Capuozzo, now at Toulouse, shining on the biggest stage, Kolbe hopes any stigma over stature will be broken down. That said, he also wants diminutive players to be treated equally by critics.

“I hope it’s changed, but I’m a firm believer that if you’re good and you get the opportunity and make the most of it then you deserve to be there,” Kolbe continued. “Obviously, I am happy to see a number of smaller players coming through and carving up, whether that’s at club level or professional level.

"Ange has been incredible for Italy. You can see he’s enjoying his rugby, which is great to see, and hopefully us smaller guys can encourage youngsters to go out there, take up the challenge and just enjoy themselves and not worry about what other people think or what they are going to be judging you on – being too small or making mistakes. In this game, no one is perfect.

“We are all going to make mistakes. I just feel, sometimes, when you’re smaller and you make a tackle error or any little thing which is an error, people jump on you and give you trouble. When a big guy misses a tackle, it’s fine. It’s normal. When it’s a small guy, it’s 10 times worse and you get negativity from the public.”

'Rassie is an incredible human on and off the field'

Kolbe picked up three appearances for South Africa last autumn, the second of which came in an incident-packed, 30-26 loss to France. After that game, Rassie Erasmus received another suspension for seeming to question the decisions of Wayne Barnes, the referee, via social media. Kolbe, however, staunchly defended the character of the Springboks’ director of rugby.

“It just shows you how much he cares about the Springboks and about South Africa,” he said of Erasmus. “He just wants the boys and the team to be treated fairly and he would go out of his way to make sure that is the case. He’s very passionate about his rugby and I am sure each and every person will know that by now. That’s just who Coach Rassie is.

“He’s just an incredible human on and off the field. I’ve gotten to know Coach Rassie since I started playing [for the Springboks] in 2018 but just his sense of the game, his thinking, is out of this world. I haven’t been part of a team where the coaching has so much detail and that much thought goes into preparation and the way you see and analyse other teams. I take my hat off to coach Rassie for coming in at such a difficult time and turning a lot around in quite a short period of time leading into the World Cup in 2019.

“He’s a fantastic coach to play under and just a phenomenal human off the field, too. He cares a lot about the players, their health, their families and just wanting the best for them. Everyone knows that the ban he got was for the players, for the Springboks at the time. He’s a good guy to have on your side.”