Siya Kolisi is an icon of South African rugby, but his teammates say the Springbok skipper still doesn’t get enough credit for his on-field impact.
Kolisi is two games away from becoming the first captain to lead the Springboks to back-to-back World Cup titles.
The 32-year-old has already written himself into team folklore by becoming the first black Springbok captain in 2018 and he has since become just the second player to captain them on 50 occasions.
Speaking ahead of the World Cup semi-final against England, Bok lock Eben Etzebeth – a close friend of Kolisi’s – explained how the iconic flanker is seen inside the squad.
“In our squad, we don’t see him as a superstar, we see him as a guy who is close to us, who we’ve known from a young age,” Etzebeth said.
“He is a superstar to the people and to the communities but for us, he is a friend, just a normal person who enjoys a silly joke or just some stupid laughter.
“People talk a lot about him off the pitch, but what they don’t see on the pitch is the work rate and what a difference he makes to get to those breakdowns,” Etzebeth added.
LISTEN: Boks earn the world’s respect
WATCH: World Champion Boks make a point
“It’s incredible. The unseen work, his work ethic. He is an underrated player for what he does for us the team.”
Springbok centre Damian de Allende, who plays for Japanese club Wild Knights, spoke highly of Kolisi’s selflessness.
“At my club in Japan there are players who are big in Japan,” De Allende said. “Siya is known across the world, and sometimes I feel… I wouldn’t say sorry for him, because his image is so good and he is so giving. He is so selfless and he takes a lot of his own time to make people happy.
“On days his body might be sore and mentally very tired, but he will always take time to make someone happy. We are very lucky and privileged to have him in the squad and we’ll all be closer to him after rugby.”
Photo: JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP