Cheslin Kolbe has hailed the influence of Rassie Erasmus on the Springboks, saying his controversial off-field antics come from a good place.
Kolbe spoke in a wide-ranging conversation with the Telegraph Rugby Podcast in England, during which he also encouraged the Springboks to join the Six Nations and explained why he left South Africa for France.
MORE: Kolbe backs Boks to join Six Nations
During the podcast, Kolbe was asked about Erasmus and the director of rugby’s recent suspension from World Rugby for posting videos on Twitter highlighting Wayne Barnes’ refereeing decisions.
It was the second time that Erasmus had been punished for criticising match officials, but Kolbe defended his character.
“It just shows you how much he cares about the Springboks and about South Africa,” Kolbe said.
“He just wants the boys and the team to be treated fairly, and he would go out of his way to make sure that is the case. He’s very passionate about his rugby, and I am sure each and every person will know that by now. That’s just who Coach Rassie is.
“He’s just an incredible human on and off the field. I’ve gotten to know Coach Rassie since I started playing [for the Springboks] in 2018, but just his sense of the game, his thinking, is out of this world. I haven’t been part of a team where the coaching has so much detail, and that much thought goes into preparation and the way you see and analyse other teams.
“I take my hat off to coach Rassie for coming in at such a difficult time and turning a lot around in quite a short period of time leading into the World Cup in 2019.
“He’s a fantastic coach to play under and just a phenomenal human off the field, too. He cares a lot about the players, their health, their families and just wanting the best for them. Everyone knows that the ban he got was for the players, for the Springboks at the time. He’s a good guy to have on your side.”
'He's just an incredible human, on and off the field' ??@CheslinKolbe defends Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus following his ban last year.#TelegraphRugby
— Telegraph Rugby (@TelegraphRugby) February 22, 2023
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