Growing at rapid rate, Kolisi now owns No 6 jersey

I WONDER if, one year ago, Siya Kolisi thought that he’d be anywhere close to where he is now.

From being appointed as the Stormers captain at the start of the Super Rugby season, to starting in all three Tests for the Springboks against France during the Incoming Tour, there have a few special moments for the loose forward this season.

He has certainly come a long way since making his international debut back in 2013.

Captaincy has done Kolisi well. It has done him extremely well. He got his career as captain off to the best possible start with a convincing 37-24 win over their old foes, the Bulls, at Newlands.

He’s thrilled in the Stormers jersey with his exciting performances, whether it’s been slick offloads or elusive runs. Yes, the Stormers suffered harsh defeats on their tour to New Zealand under Kolisi (he was also rested in one of those games), but he can’t be held responsible on his own for those defeats.

Anyway, fast forward to June 10, and Kolisi wrote a whole new chapter on his career.

Last year, ahead of the Springboks’ first Test against Ireland at Newlands and Kolisi’s first Springbok start, he said that, in a way, it felt like it would be his first time playing for the team. Kolisi was never even guaranteed a spot in the Bok matchday squad...

But he played in all three Tests against France, and made the No 6 jersey his own. He showed he can be a menace on the ground, and his ability with ball in hand was highlighted.

During the second Test in Durban, he produced arguably one of the best individual Springbok performances that we’ve seen in a long time and his best performance ever as he had a massive hand in the Boks’ second victory. He was involved in three of the Springboks’ four tries, including scoring a fantastic intercept try, and he sent passes to Elton Jantjies and Jan Serfortein to put them away.

And in the third Test, he was no let down either. To think that we still have the Rugby Championship and the end-ofyear tour. I can’t wait to see how much more Kolisi grows. Because if his growth in the last few months is anything to go by, then there’s no telling what he can achieve in the Springbok set-up. Future Bok captain, perhaps? And what a powerful signal of change that would be for our country.