Stormers and Springbok hooker Scarra Ntubeni has known World Cup-winning Springbok captain Siya Kolisi since the age of 12. He gives Independent Media rugby writer mark_keohane a first-hand account of the Kolisi he knows.
The first time I met Siya was on the opposing sides of a scrum. He was playing for Grey Junior U12s and I was playing for Dale U12s. We both played No 8. Our schools’ rivalry started back then and over time the rivalry would lead to familiarity and then to a friendship since we both relocated to the Western Province Rugby Academy as 18-year-olds. Siya, when I first met him, couldn’t speak English, but he could play rugby. His English improved because of his friend Nick Holton.
Siya, as a teenage player, was a superstar and strong attacker, but he wasn’t as committed to defence. He’d carry well at No 8, but on defence, he could have been standing at fullback. Back in the day, he was flippin lazy! It was easy to stray from the very structured lifestyle expected of us as young professional rugby players. It was initially very difficult, being two outsiders in a new province, where there was so much expectation on performance.
Hilton really believed in Siya and myself and his influence when we first arrived in Cape Town can’t be overstated. I’ll never forget making my Test debut against Argentina earlier this year, six years after first being named in a Springbok squad. Siya and I got to play together for the Springboks. Injuries had set me back and there were times when I wanted to pack it in. I’d go to Siya as a friend and tell him I was done with rugby. He’d give me the tough love and tell me to quit and not to come back one day crying that I wasn’t prepared to fight back.
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