a day ago
Kolbe shines through storm to power Boks to dominant win
Barbarians coach Robbie Deans is an admirer of Kolbe's work. 'I always enjoy watching Cheslin. Even when you're playing against him. He's just so positive. You can see his positivity into contact and in the air. He is just a freakish footballer.'
Kolbe, 31, showed that his desire to make an impression in the Bok jersey remains undiminished.
To be fair, that attitude permeated the Boks ranks with several players putting shoulder to the wheel in the kind of match often dismissed for its frivolity.
After a two-year absence lock Lood de Jager made an impressive return to the Bok fold. He tirelessly toiled for 70 minutes before being withdrawn from the action. Jean-Luc du Preez, another Bok absentee in the last few seasons, also showed his worth in the No.8 jersey. He however left the field injured just before the break.
Flank Vincent Tshituka went through a huge workload and would have been well satisfied with his effort.
Like Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse also sparked when opportunity presented.
It was the need to impress before the two-Test series against Italy that drove the Boks. In the second half in particular they played with greater hunger and urgency, displaying also the willingness to go the extra mile.
Centre Andre Esterhuizen certainly fell into that category when he was deployed as a loose forward when he came on as a second-half substitute.
