Siya Kolisi

thumb|Siya Kolisi Siyamthanda "Siya" Kolisi (born 16 June 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently captains the South Africa national team. Having formerly played for the |Sharks and Racing 92, he currently plays for the Stormers in the URC. He generally plays as a flanker and a loose forward. In 2018, Kolisi was appointed captain of the Springboks, becoming the first black man to hold the position and eventually leading the South African Rugby team to victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final against England, and again in the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final against New Zealand. Quotes I’m not only trying to inspire black kids but people from all races. I tell my team-mates that you should never play just to represent one group. You can’t play to be the best black player or to be the best white player to appeal to a community; you have to play to be the best for every South African. There’s so much division in the country, but we show, as people with different backgrounds, that it is possible to work together in South Africa, not just on the rugby field but in life in general. Springboks the last line of defence’ – Siya Kolisi’s inspirational interview after South Africa’s Rugby World Cup win, 28 October 2023, by Colin Newboult I now have the platform to hopefully be able to change the stories of those kids growing up in similar circumstances, but at the same time the biggest thing for me is to change the mindset while they’re still living in tough conditions Rise:The Siya Kolisi story,27 January 2023, by Rugby Magazine External links Category:Rugby union players from South Africa Category:Living people Category:1991 births