Siya Kolisi

Siya Kolisi
Full name Siyamthanda Kolisi
Date of birth (1991-06-16) 16 June 1991
Place of birth Zwide, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight 105 kg (231 lb; 16 st 7 lb)[1]
School Grey High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Loose forward
Current team Stormers / Western Province
Youth Career
2007–2009 Eastern Province Kings
2010–2012 Western Province
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011–2014 Western Province 29 (35)
2012–present Stormers 104 (80)
Correct as of 13 July 2018
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010–2011 South Africa U20 8 (10)
2013–present South Africa 36 (25)
Correct as of 29 September 2018

Siyamthanda Kolisi (born 16 June 1991) is a South African rugby union rugby player who plays for the South Africa national team, the Stormers in Super Rugby and Western Province in the Currie Cup.[2][3] He has the ability to play in any position in the back-row but has thus far mostly featured as a flanker.[1][4]

Kolisi is the first black man to captain the Springboks in an international rugby match.[5]

Early life

Kolisi grew up in the impoverished Zwide township outside Port Elizabeth and endured a tough upbringing. At the age of 12 he impressed scouts at a youth tournament in Mossel Bay and was offered a scholarship at Grey Junior in Port Elizabeth. He subsequently moved up to Grey High School, where he was a member of the first XV rugby team. He was also a part of the Eastern Province Kings youth set-up between 2007 and 2009, playing in the Under-16 Grant Khomo week and the Under-18 Craven Week before shifting west to join Western Province.[6][7]

Career

Kolisi made his senior debut for Western Province against the Golden Lions during the 2011 Vodacom Cup and later in the year several injuries and international call-ups gave him the opportunity to make regular starts in the Currie Cup. He made 13 appearances and scored 4 tries during the campaign including a crucial score against bitter rivals the Blue Bulls.[2][4]

2012 saw Kolisi graduate to the Stormers squad and he made an immediate impact with 16 appearances during the season and 1 try. The second half of the year was not so kind to him as a thumb injury restricted him to just one appearance in the 2012 Currie Cup and he had to watch on from the sidelines as Province lifted their 33rd Currie Cup title.[8]

Kolisi returned with a bang the following year and held his place in the Stormers side despite fierce competition among the loose forwards. 13 appearances and 2 tries were recorded and this earned him his first international recognition. Being part of the Springbok set-up for the 2013 Rugby Championship meant he only played in Western Province's final 3 matches of the 2013 Currie Cup and he was powerless to prevent them from slipping to a surprise 33–19 home defeat to the Sharks in the final of the competition.[4]

Kolisi was selected as the new captain of the Stormers on 20 February 2017.[9] He was selected as the new captain of the Springboks on 28 May 2018, becoming the team's first black captain in its 126-year history.[10] Bryan Habana, former Springbok and of mixed race, praised Siya Kolisi's appointment: "It's a monumental moment for South African rugby, and a moment in South African history."[5]

Siya Kolisi is on the board of directors of MyPlayers which is the players' organisation of all the professional rugby players in South Africa.

International

Kolisi was a member of the South Africa under 20 side that competed in both the 2010 and 2011 IRB Junior World Championships.[11]

He made his Springbok debut on 15 June 2013 against Scotland at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. He replaced the injured Arno Botha in the 5th minute and was named as Man of the Match as his side won 30–17.[12] 9 further substitute appearances followed during the 2013 international season as he firmly established himself as a regular member of the national squad.[1]

Personal life

Kolisi married Rachel Smith in 2016 and as of 2018 they have two children together: son Nicholas Siyamthanda (2015) and daughter Keziah born around 2018.[5] Since 2014 Siya’s half-siblings, Liyema and Liphelo, children of Siya’s mother who passed away in 2009, have been part of the Kolisi household, after five years in orphanages and foster care in Port Elizabeth. Rachel, one year older than Siya, is from Grahamstown and worked as a marketing executive before taking on duties as a full-time mother.[13]

Statistics

Test match record

Against Pld W D L Tri Con Pen DG Pts %Won
 Argentina540130001580
 Australia42200000050
 England220000000100
 France550010005100
 Ireland42020000050
 Japan1001000000
 New Zealand4004000000
 Samoa220000000100
 Scotland110000000100
 Wales21010000050
Total30192940002063.33

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Con = Conversions, Pen = Penalties, DG = Drop Goals, Pts = Points Scored

Super Rugby Statistics

As of 21 June 2015
SeasonTeamGamesStartsSubMinsTriesConsPensDropsPointsYelRed
2012 Stormers1615111651000500
2013 Stormers1313095620001000
2014 Stormers15967331000500
2015 Stormers161249011000500
Total604911375550002500
Rugby Union Captain
Preceded by
Pieter-Steph du Toit		 Springbok Captain
2018		 Next:
Incubent

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "SA Rugby Player Profile – Siya Kolisi". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Siya Kolisi WP Rugby Player Profile". WP Rugby. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "Siya Kolisi Stormers Player Profile". Stormers. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 "Siya Kolisi itsrugby.co.uk Player Statistics". itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 Jones, Chris (9 June 2018). "South Africa v England: Siya Kolisi - the Springboks captain uniting a country". BBC Sport/BBC Radio 5 live. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Kolisi's living the dream". SA Rugby Mag. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  7. ↑ "Kolisi – a Green & Gold, father & son reunion". Supersport. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "WP's Kolisi out for the season". Sport 24. 26 August 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  9. ↑ Lewis, Carl. "Siya Kolisi to captain Stormers". Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  10. ↑ "Siya Kolisi: South Africa name first black Test captain for England series". BBC Sport. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  11. ↑ "Siya Kolisi IRB JWC Player Profile". IRB. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  12. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – South Africa 30-17 Scotland". South African Rugby Union. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  13. ↑ Huisman, Biénne (May 22, 2016). "Rugby, kids and romance for Siya Kolisi". City Press. Retrieved October 7, 2018.

Powers, Angus (14 February 2014). "African Bomber: The True Story of Siya Kolisi" (PDF). Union Sports Mag. Retrieved 15 February 2014.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.