Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe will leave French side Toulon at the end of the 2022/23 season after helping them to their first EPCR Challenge Cup title.
FILE: Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe. Picture: @Springboks/Twitter
CAPE TOWN – On Monday afternoon, Toulon released a statement saying that they had mutually parted ways with Springbok winger, Cheslin Kolbe.
Kolbe will leave the French side at the end of the 2022/23 season. According to the statement, he will announce his next move soon.
???????? Le @RCTofficiel et @CheslinKolbe ont décidé d’un commun accord de se libérer mutuellement de leurs engagements à l’issue de la saison 22-23????
???????? The RCT & Cheslin Kolbe have mutually agreed to release each other from their commitments at the end of the 22-23.
More details????
‘ RCT – RC Toulon (@RCTofficiel) May 29, 2023
The World Cup winner, who played for Toulose before joining Toulon, joined the club in the 2021/2022 season and was recently a key player in the side winning their first EPCR Challenge Cup title after losing in four previous finals.
Kolbe was named “Player of the Match” and was extremely emotional in his post-match interview.
After a long hard season, @CheslinKolbe couldn’t hold his emotions in any longer ????
Head to our TikTok for exclusive reaction content ➡️ https://t.co/bUe2zSezF9 pic.twitter.com/Q2ubQsmagH
‘ EPCR Challenge Cup (@ChallengeCup_) May 19, 2023
The big question then is: where is Kolbe off to next? One cannot help but think he will return home and rejoin his former side, the Stormers, after their amazing performances over the last two seasons in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
For now, though, that is a “no” according to coach John Dobson, who talked to John Maytham on CapeTalk on Monday.
Dobson was asked if any other players, besides captain Steven Kitshoff would be leaving.
“No, Ernst van Rhyn is going to Sale [Sharks] and Kitsie, you can’t replace the irreplaceable. We’ve got Sti Sithole coming from the Lions and we are working on another prop.
“We have two or three but we [Western Province Rugby Union] actually need the equity deal because we are in administration. My feeling is things are going to have to move very quickly otherwise we could miss them [new signings] next season.”
He went on to say their good form had put their players on the radar to be hunted by other South African clubs.
“The Bulls and Sharks are responding dramatically to us being double Shield winners, so we have the same squad bar Kitsie, we have someone to play in his jersey, but not to replace him.”
Then, when asked about the newly-released statement about Kolbe and if in fact he is heading to Cape Town, Dobson had this to say:
“I’ll tell you… they released his offer to us last week and they came back with a number that was probably the GDP of Lesotho.”
Laughing, Dobson continued: “We are in administration and that number is just impossible, but we definitely need to strengthen our outside backs. [Seabelo] Senatla’s serious injury we are paper thin in that area, those two centre’s are overplayed. As of today, we are scrambling for two backs.”
So, no Kolbe for the former URC champions. But the question still remains, where will the much-wanted wing head to next?
Listen to the full interview with Stormers coach John Dobson below:
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