Before there was Cheslin Kolbe, there was Breyton Paulse. In his heyday at the turn of the millennium, Paulse was of a similar stature to Kolbe, even if he was slightly taller and heavier.
Paulse played 64 Tests, scoring 130 points for the Boks. After 50 Tests, Kolbe has matched that points tally — sitting on 131 points, with a few added through his boot. Kolbe is arguably the evolution of the foundation Paulse laid, a continuation of the rare abilities and talent that the former wing expressed for the Springboks and Stormers over two decades ago.
It is a comparison that Paulse wholeheartedly agrees with.
“If you look at him and the stature of the man, maybe not many people gave him a chance at first,” Paulse said, in an exclusive interview with The National, at a Springbok Legends breakfast. “Not many people gave me a chance as well.
“But Kolbe has taken professional rugby to the next level. First of all, he's a wonderful human being, he's a great family man, he's got good manners, and he's just a lekker South African.
“Coming to his rugby, we've seen how he bumps off 120kg opponents, the kind of tries he scores, his anticipation on defence. Now, he's a leader of this wonderful Springbok team. So, I have lots of respect for Cheslin.”
Kolbe was born in Kraaifontein on the north-eastern outskirts of Cape Town, and being a product of that region has shaped the 32-year-old as much as any of his travels abroad, according to Paulse. Those journeys in search of top-flight rugby have taken Kolbe from the Stormers in his early playing days, to France to play for Toulouse and Toulon, and more recently Japan with Tokyo Sungoliath.
Kolbe is now set for a true homecoming — not this coming weekend in the second Test between the Boks and the All Blacks in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry — but after re-signing with the Stormers for the upcoming United Rugby Championship season.
“There are a lot of things that drive him, like where he comes from: Kraaifontein,” said Paulse.
“In some of the places on the Cape Flats, it's really a difficult place to grow up. So, you've got to give credit to his mom, dad and everybody who assisted him in his rugby career, from school level to Western Province.
“It wasn't always easy, and that's why I take my hat off to him. He's achieved so much in his life and he's worked hard for it.
“He had to leave his beloved family, he had to go overseas, he had to go and play well, he had to go learn a different culture and meet new people and experience a new way of life.
“He did it with grace. He's a very respectful guy, a wonderful South African, and I'm really proud of him.”