Siya Kolisi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Siyamthanda Kolisi
Full nameSiyamthanda Kolisi
Date of birth (1991-06-16) 16 June 1991 (age 30)
Place of birthPort Elizabeth, South Africa
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight105 kg (231 lb; 16 st 7 lb)[1]
SchoolGrey High School
Spouse
Rachel Kolisi
​
(m. 2015)​
Children2
Rugby union career
Position(s) Loose forward
Current team Sharks
Youth career
2007–2009 Eastern Province Kings
2010–2012 Western Province
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011–2021 Western Province 34 (35)
2012–2020 Stormers 118 (95)
2021– Sharks 0 (0)
Correct as of 23 August 2021
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010–2011 South Africa U20 8 (10)
2013–present South Africa 56 (30)
Correct as of 26 August 2021

Siyamthanda Kolisi (born 16 June 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently captains the South Africa national team and also plays club rugby for the Sharks in the Currie Cup.[2][3][4] He generally plays as a flanker.[1][5] In 2018, Kolisi was appointed captain of the Springboks, becoming the first black man to hold the position,[6][7] and eventually leading the South African Rugby team to victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final against England.[8] In December 2019, Kolisi was named in New African magazine's list of 100 Most Influential Africans.

Early life[]

Kolisi grew up in zendaya, Ibhayi, a township outside of Port Elizabeth. Kolisi's mother, Phakama, was 17 when Siya was born and his father, Fezakele, was in his final year of school. Kolisi's mother died when he was 15, leaving his late grandmother, Nolulamile, to raise him.[9] 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 was subsequently offered a rugby scholarship to the prestigious Grey High School, which South African cricketer Graeme Pollock and England International Mike Catt had attended. Kolisi was a regular 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.[10][11] He further represented the South Africa national under-18 rugby union team (SA Schools team) for two consecutive years.[12]

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][5]

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.[13]

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.[5]

Kolisi was selected as the new captain of the Stormers on 20 February 2017.[14] 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.[15] Bryan Habana, former Springbok and of mixed race, praised Kolisi's appointment: "It's a monumental moment for South African rugby, and a moment in South African history."[6]

Kolisi was on the board of directors of MyPlayers Rugby which is the players' Organisation of all the professional rugby players in South Africa.

Kolisi signed for the Sharks in February 2021 following the successful majority share purchase of the Sharks by MVM Holidings.[4][16]

International career[]

Kolisi was a member of the South Africa under 20 side that competed in both the 2010 and 2011 IRB Junior World Championships.[17]

He made his national team debut as Springbok 851[18] 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 South Africa won 30–17.[19] Nine further substitute appearances followed during the 2013 international season as he firmly established himself as a regular member of the national squad.[1] Kolisi also played two matches in the 2015 Rugby World Cup playing for South Africa against Japan and Samoa.[20]

He became the first ever black player to lead the Springboks in a Test match in the game against England at Ellis Park on 9 June 2018.[21] He captained the South African team at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Yokohama, Japan, defeating England 32–12 in the final to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.[22] This was South Africa's third World Cup win, tying with New Zealand. Siya Kolisi become the first black captain of a World Cup-winning side.[8][23]

Personal life[]

Kolisi married Rachel Kolisi in 2016 and as of 2018 they have two children together: son Nicholas Siyamthanda (born 2015) and daughter Keziah (born 2017).[24][6] Since 2014 Siya's half-siblings, Liyema and Liphelo, children of Siya's mother who died 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.[25]

Kolisi is a devout Christian.[26]

Kolisi is an ardent fan of English club Liverpool FC.[27]

Philanthropy[]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, Kolisi and his wife launched The Kolisi Foundation in 2020. The foundation provides personal protective equipment to healthcare workers and delivers food parcels throughout South Africa, with special attention paid to the Zwide township where Kolisi grew up, and other disadvantaged areas of South Africa.[28]

Statistics[]

Test match record[]

As of 26 August 2021
Against P W D L Tri Pts %Won
 Argentina 10 8 0 2 4 20 80
 Australia 6 3 2 1 0 0 50
 British and Irish Lions 3 2 0 1 0 0 66.67
 Canada 1 1 0 0 0 0 100
 England 5 3 0 2 0 0 60
 France 6 6 0 0 1 5 100
 Georgia 1 1 0 0 0 0 100
 Ireland 4 2 0 2 0 0 50
 Italy 1 1 0 0 0 0 100
 Japan 3 2 0 1 0 0 66.67
 Namibia 1 1 0 0 1 5 100
 New Zealand 7 1 0 6 0 0 14.29
 Samoa 2 2 0 0 0 0 100
 Scotland 2 2 0 0 0 0 100
 Wales 4 2 0 2 0 0 50
Total 56 37 2 17 6 30 67.86

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored

Test tries (6)[]

Tries Opposition Location Venue Competition Date Result
1  France Durban, South Africa Kings Park Stadium Test match 17 June 2017 Won 37–15
1  Argentina Port Elizabeth, South Africa Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium 2017 Rugby Championship 19 August 2017 Won 37–15
2  Argentina Salta, Argentina Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena 2017 Rugby Championship 26 August 2017 Won 41–23
1  Argentina Mendoza, Argentina Estadio Malvinas Argentinas 2018 Rugby Championship 25 August 2018 Lost 19–32
1  Namibia Aichi Prefecture, Japan Toyota Stadium 2019 Rugby World Cup 28 September 2019 Won 57–3

Super Rugby statistics[]

As of 9 June 2020
Season Team Games Starts Sub Mins Tries Points Yellow card Red card
2012 Stormers 16 15 1 1165 1 5 0 0
2013 Stormers 13 13 0 956 2 10 0 0
2014 Stormers 15 9 6 733 1 5 0 0
2015 Stormers 16 12 4 885 1 5 0 0
2016 Stormers 16 11 5 801 2 10 1 0
2017 Stormers 13 13 0 1009 6 30 0 0
2018 Stormers 15 14 1 1042 2 10 0 0
2019 Stormers 11 10 1 765 4 20 1 0
2020 Stormers 1 1 0 26 0 0 0 0
Total 116 98 18 7382 19 95 2 0
Rugby Union Captain
Preceded by
Pieter-Steph du Toit 		Springbok Captain
2018 		Next:
Duane Vermeulen

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "SA Rugby Player Profile – Siya Kolisi". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Siya Kolisi WP Rugby Player Profile". WP Rugby. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Siya Kolisi Stormers Player Profile". Stormers. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "SIYA KOLISI IS OFFICIALLY A SHARK". The Sharks. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Siya Kolisi itsrugby.co.uk Player Statistics". itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c 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.
  7. ^ "Rugby World Cup final: Siya Kolisi, South Africa's first black captain & legacy of 1995". BBC Sport. 30 October 2019.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Shine, Ossian (2 November 2019). "A Rainbow Nation turns golden as Siya Kolisi lifts the World Cup". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  9. ^ Ray, Craig (6 June 2018). "Siya Kolisi: 'We represent something much bigger than we can imagine'". The Guardian.
  10. ^ "Kolisi's living the dream". SA Rugby Mag. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  11. ^ "Kolisi – a Green & Gold, father & son reunion". Supersport. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  12. ^ "Siya Kolisi True Story" (PDF).
  13. ^ "WP's Kolisi out for the season". Sport 24. 26 August 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  14. ^ Lewis, Carl. "Siya Kolisi to captain Stormers". Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  15. ^ "Siya Kolisi: South Africa name first black Test captain for England series". BBC Sport. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  16. ^ Mjikeliso, Sibusiso. "SuperSport CEO on Sharks stake sale to MVM, Siya Kolisi mega move". Sport. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Siya Kolisi IRB JWC Player Profile". IRB. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  18. ^ , Wikipedia, 21 July 2019, retrieved 11 September 2019
  19. ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – South Africa 30-17 Scotland". South African Rugby Union. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  20. ^ "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Statsguru - Player analysis - Siya Kolisi - Test matches". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  21. ^ "Happy Birthday Siya Kolisi! 13 facts about the Springboks' skipper". Sport. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  22. ^ "South Africa captain Siya Kolisi: 'we can achieve anything if we work together' – video". The Guardian. 2 November 2019. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  23. ^ Pye, John (31 October 2019). "Springboks' 1st black captain gets his chance at history". ABC News. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  24. ^ "Rachel and Siya Kolisi welcome baby girl". citizen.co.za. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  25. ^ Huisman, Biénne (22 May 2016). "Rugby, kids and romance for Siya Kolisi". City Press. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  26. ^ Mercer, Kevin (20 September 2019). "South African captain Siya Kolisi trusts in God as 2019 Rugby World Cup begins". Sports Spectrum.
  27. ^ "Rugby World Cup winner Siya Kolisi reveals Reds inspiration on Anfield visit". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  28. ^ Macfarlane, Christina. "'There is nothing worse than hunger,' says South Africa hero Siya Kolisi of helping townships during lockdown". CNN. Retrieved 28 April 2020.

External links[]

Rugby Union Captain
Preceded by
Pieter-Steph du Toit 		Springbok Captain
2018– 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Richie McCaw 		Rugby World Cup
winning captain
2019 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""