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    Road to Glory: Cheslin Kolbe
    Road to Glory: Cheslin Kolbe
    Road to Glory: Cheslin Kolbe
    Ebook96 pages54 minutes

    Road to Glory: Cheslin Kolbe

    By Jeremy Daniel

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    About this ebook

    Cheslin roared with happiness as the final whistle blew in Yokohama. They were champions! Later, as his captain lifted the 2019 Rugby World Cup trophy into the air, he felt prouder than he'd ever been before — of himself, his team and his country.
    Cheslin Kolbe tells the story of a kid from Kraaifontein, Cape Town, whose talent took him to international sports stardom, first to Toulouse, France, and eventually to the call-up that would change his life forever: to play for the Springbok 2019 World Cup squad. It's the heartwarming story of a small player with a big heart whose signature sidestep helped the Springboks win the World Cup trophy for South Africa.
    Cheslin Kolbe is part of the "Road to Glory" series, which covers some of South Africa's sporting legends as they set out on their journeys to becoming national and international stars.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJonathan Ball
    Release dateDec 15, 2020
    ISBN9781868429509
    Road to Glory: Cheslin Kolbe
    Author

    Jeremy Daniel

    JEREMY DANIEL is an author, screenwriter and musician. He has written extensively for children’s television and theatre, including as head writer for Takalani Sesame. He has also written a book, My Forever Friend. He is the author of the “Road to Glory” series of local sports biographies for younger readers, published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Back in the day, he was the founding member and bass player for seminal Cape Town indie band, Fetish. He lives in Cape Town with his wife and daughters.

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      Book preview

      Road to Glory - Jeremy Daniel

      CHAPTER 1

      CHESLIN – A SPRINGBOK CHAMPION

      The roar of the crowd was deafening. The lights seemed to shine brighter than ever, and it felt as though every camera and microphone on earth was pointing directly at the field. Cheslin Kolbe, can you believe it? Here you are – standing on the field in Japan’s Yokohama Stadium, seconds away from playing against England in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final! Cheslin almost pinched himself to check whether it was real.

      For as long as Cheslin could remember, this had been his dream. Morning after morning, training towards this goal had pulled him out of bed and into the gym. Now, as he looked around at the packed stadium, the wall of cameras and the cheering fans, he realised just how much he had achieved.

      The Springboks were considered the underdogs against England in this match. Only a week earlier, England had been unstoppable against New Zealand’s All Blacks in the semi-finals, whereas the Springboks had had to work hard to beat Wales.

      But Cheslin knew that anything could happen in a final.

      He and his teammates lined up to sing the National Anthem and give each other some last-minute motivation, and then the game was on. At these big games, the pre-game tension was so enormous that it was a relief when the whistle blew and the flyhalf hoisted the ball into the air.

      From the start, the South Africans played beautifully. In scrum after scrum, the dominant forward pack shoved England backwards, forcing them to make errors and give away penalties. At half-time the Boks were leading 12 points to six, thanks to four pinpoint penalty kicks from Handré Pollard and some fierce defending – especially from Faf de Klerk and Cheslin, both of whom were bringing down players double their size.

      As the pressure on them mounted, England kept making mistakes and the Springboks kept growing more confident.

      Back home in South Africa, thousands of rugby fans sat glued to screens and radios, as the excited voice of the commentator blared out: ‘It’s the 66th minute, and the ball is out on the left wing. Makazole Mapimpi chips it beautifully over the defence. It’s gathered by Lukhanyo Am, who takes a few paces and delivers a no-look pass back to Mapimpi … and Mapimpi goes over for the first try of the match! The crowd is going wild, and the Boks are looking unstoppable!’

      By the 74th minute, the Springboks were ahead by 25 points to 12. With only six minutes to go, it looked like a sure win for South Africa.

      After a crunching tackle on the halfway line, one of the English players dropped the ball. It was scooped up by Lukhanyo Am, who offloaded it into the arms of Pieter-Steph du Toit, who passed it out quickly to Cheslin. The pass was a little too high but Cheslin adjusted instantly, jumping to gather the ball without breaking his stride. He had some space ahead of him, so he sped up, all the time keeping a close watch on two large English players who were stalking him.

      Cheslin feinted to the left, sold a dummy, stepped right, then left, and burst through the arms of England’s captain, Owen Farrell. It was the kind of move he was famous for and it left England’s defenders looking like amateurs. In seconds he was ahead, over the line and dotting the ball down firmly.

      Cheslin pumped his fist in victory as he jogged towards the crowd. At that moment, all the fight went out of the English team.

      A few minutes later, the final whistle blew, the crowd roared their approval and the dream became reality. South Africa had won the 2019 Rugby World Cup with a score of 32 points to 12. The shocked and grateful players hugged each other, many in tears. Some fell to their knees. For every member of the squad, this was the biggest moment of his career.

      Cheslin spent the next few hours in a daze. The medals were handed out and South African captain Siya Kolisi triumphantly held up the gleaming trophy. There was singing and dancing, phone calls from family and friends, handshaking, high-fiving, backslapping and congratulations from celebrities and dignitaries. Cheslin felt dizzy with emotion and the non-stop joyful whirlwind of celebrations.

      As he lay in bed much later that night, Cheslin thought about the expressions on the faces of his teammates and coach in that final moment of the game. They had put so much faith in him, and he was deeply grateful to have rewarded them with a great performance. Everyone had played their part perfectly.

      Cheslin knew that everything changes after you become a world champion, but it was only when the Springboks arrived back in South Africa that he experienced what that meant.

      For everyone in the squad, this was the biggest moment of his career.

      At the airport, a huge crowd of excited fans was waiting – black and white, men and women, old and young – and they were all dancing and singing together. Most people in the country had had a tough year and needed some good news. The Boks had given it to them and now they wanted to celebrate.

      Two days later, the team started on a tour around the country. They drove by bus from Pretoria to Johannesburg and Soweto, where cheering crowds followed them every step of the way. The players smiled and waved from the open-topped bus, displaying the trophy, posing for selfies and soaking up the fans’ love and affection.

      Next, they flew to Durban, where the crowds showed the same support and enthusiasm. Then

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