South Africa's pocket dynamite Kolbe ready to explode against Japan
SHOWS:
TOKYO, JAPAN (OCTOBER 16, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. SOUTH AFRICAN WINGER CHESLIN KOLBE AND SCRUMHALF HERSCHEL JANTJIES ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE
2. JANTJIES / KOLBE DRINKING WATER
3. NEWS CONFERENCE STARTING
4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICAN WINGER, CHESLIN KOLBE, SAYING:
"There is always a saying going around that dynamites come in small packages but I think it all depends on different players and we all have something special we can contribute to our various teams. Both the Japanese wingers are playing currently really phenomenal rugby and they have been on good form. But I think that is what we just have to do as players within your national team is just give the best that you can out on the field and just make sure, especially for me as a player, to give as much momentum for our forwards to keep on going on the front foot."
5. NEWS CONFERENCE UNDERWAY
6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICAN WINGER, CHESLIN KOLBE, SAYING:
"Japan is definitely playing an exciting brand of rugby and giving the ball a lot of air and they want to stretch your defence structures. It's definitely the style that I love to play as well but I think us as a team, we have our own structures, our plan, that we want to implement each and every week, and especially coming up this weekend. So, they love to give the ball air but we just have to make sure we can cut down options at some stages."
7. SPRINGBOKS LOGO / JAPAN 2019 LOGO
8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICAN SCRUMHALF, HERSCHEL JANTJIES, SAYING:
"Japan does play a fast brand of rugby. I think it is important for us not to lose our cool and just to keep sticking to what we do best and try and control it. Hopefully we can nullify their pace and hopefully it will turn out a good day for us."
9. NEWS CONFERENCE UNDERWAY
10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICAN WINGER, CHESLIN KOLBE, SAYING:
"I know what type of player he (Japan winger Kotaro Matsushima) is and I know he loves to run with the ball and just have a lot of freedom. About scoring tries, it not about me honestly, but if there is opportunity to cross the white line, I'll make sure I capitalise on that because I know there has been a lot of hard work, not just from me going over for the try, but especially forwards-wise and other backline players who are creating those opportunities for us as wingers to just make sure we dot the ball down and not lose it. So it's going to be a good challenge."
11. NEWS CONFERENCE UNDERWAY
STORY: In a game increasingly being dominated by giants, Cheslin Kolbe has a message for the people who want to write off the smaller players on the rugby field.
"There is a saying that dynamites come in small packages," the Springboks winger told reporters on Wednesday (October 16) ahead of their World Cup quarter-final against Japan.
Kolbe is officially listed at 1.71 metres (5' 7") tall and weighs about 80 kilogrammes, although the Olympic rugby sevens bronze medallist barely looks that big. He was once labelled as too small to play for the Springboks and was told if he wanted to play top-level rugby to consider a shift to scrumhalf, but the 25-year-old has firmly silenced those critics with his electrifying pace and balanced side-stepping.
Kolbe said he had been suitably impressed with Japan's own small packets of dynamite in Kenki Fukuoka and Kotaro Matsushima and the Brave Blossoms' style of play.
"Both the Japanese wingers are playing phenomenal rugby and have been on good form," Kolbe said.
Scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies, another diminutive but dangerous player for South Africa, said it would be important to try and nullify Japan's pace in Sunday's (October 20) quarter-final.
(Production: Jack Tarrant)
