South Africa’s World Cup winner hails the freedom he has been given at Toulouse as playing a massive part in his success before Champions Cup final
Not since Asterix the Gaul went to Britain to help his first cousin Anticlimax fight the Romans has such a diminutive figure crossed the Channel so well equipped to embarrass the big boys. No subtitles are required when Cheslin Kolbe is in full flight, to the point where even the little legend himself is not entirely sure where his magical footwork is going to take him.
Listen, for instance, to the South African World Cup winner’s admission that, mostly, he has no clear plan in mind when he sets off with ball in hand. “Sometimes I’m not too sure what I’m going to be doing. My body just completely takes over. At times I do look at body language or how defenders are approaching, to work out whether to step them or swerve completely infield. But sometimes I watch clips of myself getting out of trouble and I don’t know what I was thinking. I just try to use what I’ve been blessed with – my feet, the bit of speed I’ve got – to not get smashed. It’s pure instinct, I think.”
