Stormers director of rugby John Dobson says the return of superstar Cheslin Kolbe to the Cape is not for the Springbok legend just to see out his career, but to help the team win trophies as they continue building towards Project 2029.
Kolbe launched his senior career with Western Province back in 2012 and made his Stormers debut in 2013, before leaving the franchise for France in 2017.
He turned out for Toulouse and Toulon over the next six years before joining Suntory Goliath in Japan in 2023 where he has been since, with his journey now coming full circle back to where it all started.
Prime athlete
Speaking ahead of their United Rugby Championship quarter-final against Cardiff in Cape Town on Monday, Dobson said they were thrilled to add a “quality prime athlete” to their roster.
“We heard (Japan coach) Eddie Jones speaking about Cheslin the other day and we watched some Japanese club games. Eddie just said that his work off the ball, his commitment, is phenomenal,” said Dobson.
“Chessie is a prime athlete. This is a guy who will still be playing for us in 2029. Him coming back is not a retirement thing. He wants to come back to win big trophies with the Stormers. He’s so excited about that.”
Dobson explained that the Stormers had made a number of attempts over the years to bring Kolbe back to the union, and he admitted that they were relieved to have finally made it happen, especially with Kolbe making a sacrifice in terms of the amount of money he could make.
False starts
“It has been about four false starts over the years (trying to lure Kolbe back). He is desperate to come back and he’s not a big Galactico signing (salary wise). This is a guy who really wanted to come back to Cape Town and he wanted to play for the Stormers,” said Dobson.
“He has made a commercial sacrifice around that which confirms his commitment to the team and it is greatly appreciated by the team. He wants to come back to where he comes from.
“He’d earn multiples of what he will earn here if he stayed overseas, in Japan, and he would also earn several fold more on a commercial basis at another (local) franchise.
“Real credit must go to him, he had to do a lot of heavy lifting. He was under contract in Japan, he has had to make a massive financial sacrifice but at no stage did he say to us we must match what he’d get in Japan or match what he might get offered up country. He really just wanted to be here.”
Marquee signings
Kolbe is the latest in a number of marquee Springbok signings by the union that include Bok captain Siya Kolisi and prop Wilco Louw, while scrumhalf Cobus Reinach joined the franchise last year.
Dobson admitted that a number of other high profile players had enquired about joining the Stormers, but he explained that they were now entering a tight juggling phase with the number of Bok players they had on their books, and they had to draw a line in the sand.
“We are aware we have to draw a line, because we have had a lot of enquiries from guys who have played for us in the past or who want to play for us and want to return to SA,” said Dobson.
“We are looking at other franchises and we have had fewer Boks than the Sharks and the Bulls over the past few years. I think we are heading into a tricky phase in SA rugby where you don’t want to have too many Boks as you don’t have their services for quite a few games.
“We want the local eco system to be strong so it is a balancing act between having marquee players who people want to come and watch, which is what these two players (Kolbe and Kolisi) definitely are, and also having a team that is robust when the Springboks aren’t playing.
“I think we’d all agree there were special circumstances around the Siya deal. He wanted to be with his family and I think he’s done so much for SA rugby that he has earned the right to end his career where he wants to end it. He is not going to bankrupt us, he’s made it very palatable for us (to afford him).”
