Rugby
A glimpse into the life of rugby star Siya Kolisi
8 questions that the World Cup-winning Springboks' captain Siya Kolisi answered – some pretty unexpectedly – in his inspirational autobiography, Rise.
South African rugby player Siya Kolisi proves to be an inspiration on and off the pitch. He's the first Black man to lead his country's rugby team in more than 128 years. From humble beginnings to international stardom, Kolisi's life shows the power of achieving a positive mindset.
Here are eight questions we got answered from Kolisi's autobiography, Rise:
1. Who was the person that set him on the path to glory?
Kolisi makes no bones about it. “Without her, I wouldn’t be here. That’s not a figure of speech,” Kolisi explains, talking about his grandmother Nolulamile, who brought him up in the township of Zwide in the Eastern Cape city of Port Elizabeth. A remarkable woman, she was the “positive, loving, supportive and protective” influence in the toughest of times. She would even go without food herself to ensure Kolisi had enough to stave off his terrible hunger. She sadly died in his arms but will always be in his heart.
Without her, I wouldn’t be here. That’s not a figure of speech
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Learn more about Springbok captain Siya Kolisi's past from his friends and family
2. What was his first sporting triumph?
Kolisi began playing street soccer as a kid and loved playing goalie, chucking himself about on the hard, compacted earth of a makeshift dirt pitch, guarding goalposts made of bricks. He and his team-mates would share a grand prize of five rands (that's about 25 pence or 30 cents between them) when they won a 'tournament' against kids from another street in the township. They would then buy piles of vetkoeks – pieces of dough filled with sausage and cheese – as their real prize. As often as not, though, he recalled, it wouldn't end with a trophy, but a beating for breaking a window.
Kolisi has broken down barriers and set records throughout his rugby career
© Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool
3. What first attracted him to rugby?
A dazzling try? A thumping tackle? No, what first wooed this wide-eyed four-year-old kid was watching the colossal Jonah Lomu and his New Zealand All Blacks performing their famed and ferocious pre-match challenge, the Haka, at the 2005 World Cup. “To me, it was just another cool dance with lots of chanting, thigh-slapping and eye-rolling, and I’d practise it with my friends in the day and perform it for my dad when he came home from work every evening,” reckoned Kolisi.
4. What was the moment that changed his life?
Kolisi recalled how his life could so easily have turned a different, more treacherous corner as he got increasingly involved in drug-taking and petrol sniffing with other boys in the township. “I could have ended up a tsotsi [a young criminal] and from there, you only have two real options: jail or death. Or both,” he reflected. Yet a training session for a local rugby team called the African Bombers, overseen by a shouting, terrifying, but inspirational coach called Eric Songwiqi, proved an epiphany. “I finished that session exhausted, bruised and bleeding, but I walked home on cloud nine. It was the most awesome thing I’d ever done. From that first session, I never looked back, and I never smoked weed or sniffed petrol again,” Kolisi remembered.
... from there, you only have two real options: jail or death
5. Who was his first hero?
After Kolisi received a life-changing bursary to attend Grey High School in Port Elizabeth, he watched the mighty Springboks come to train there, headed by Schalk Burger. “He was my hero, not just because I was a back row like him, but because I love the way he played. He was everywhere, dirty blond hair flying as he threw himself into tackles, cleaned out rucks and ran the hard yards in the tight channels,” he remembered. He was too shy initially even to ask Burger for his autograph, but a teacher shoved a pen and a piece of paper in his hand, telling him not to return until he’d got the signature that, to this day, remains one of his prized possessions. “If you’d told me then that one day Schalk would be not just my team-mate but also my friend, I’d have thought you’d lost your mind,” reckoned Kolisi.
If you’d told me then that one day Schalk would be not just my team-mate but also my friend, I’d have thought you’d lost your mind
6. Who made him starstruck when they met?
Kolisi reckons that when he met Jordan Henderson, the captain of his favourite Premier League football team Liverpool, in 2020, he felt less like an illustrious sporting peer and more like a thrilled six-year-old boy as the England international presented him with one of his shirts. “He was as awesome a human being as he is a player,” reflected Kolisi, which is actually what Henderson and the rest of the sporting world feel about Kolisi.
7. What guides Kolisi's philosophy of leadership?
The great man is happy to spell it out for us. S for self, P for positivity, R for resilience, I for inclusivity, N for natural, G for genuine, B for bravery, O for objectivity and K for knowledge. Put all those striking qualities together, and you may have the blueprint for the perfect Springbok captain.
8. What is Kolisi doing to help change the world?
The night before Kolisi led South Africa to the 2019 World Cup triumph in Japan, he sat down with his wife Rachel, the amazing woman who he says helps him every day to be the man he’s still striving to be. They made a list of everything they wanted to do to help effect change in South Africa. That subsequent victory against England has given him the chance to use his influence more. Every day, he’s striving to help transform his country, from leading a campaign to stamp out violence against women to setting up the Kolisi Foundation and changing narratives of inequality in his country. The belief drives him: “There's no freedom until everyone is free, no safety till everyone is safe, and no equality until everyone is equal.”
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NOW CELEBRATE WITH SIYA
There is no doubt that Siya one of the world's most inspiring and celebrated athletes, leading us to victory for a second time last year. Siya invites you, to celebrate your highlights with him. And, what better way than dance? Check it out here.