John Dobson has praised Cheslin Kolbe for the \u201csacrifices\u201d he has made to secure his return to the Stormers ahead of the 2026\/27 season.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the Cape-based outfit officially confirmed the signing of the double Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks flyer who returns to the club where his professional career began.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been nine years since Kolbe<\/a> pulled on a Stormers<\/a> jersey, with the 32-year-old enjoying stints at Toulouse, Toulon, and Suntory Sungoliath.<\/p>\n While his impending return to the blue and white hoops has been hailed as one of the biggest coups in South African rugby, Dobson insists it is not a \u201cGalactico\u2019 deal\u201d nor a retirement move, with Kolbe eager to win titles in Cape Town.<\/p>\n John Dobson: \u201cCheslin Kolbe is desperate to come back\u201d<\/p>\n Still, the Stormers boss could not hide his excitement to finally get one of the best wingers in the game back on South African shores<\/a>, who made financial sacrifices to rejoin his old club.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been about four false starts over the years,\u201d Dobson<\/a> told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s desperate to come back. The commitment that he made to come back, this is not a big Galactico signing, it\u2019s a guy really, really wanting to come back to Cape Town, and he really wanted to play for the Stormers.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s made a commercial sacrifice around that, which is highly appreciated by the team and shows his commitment to the team.\u201d<\/p>\n Kolbe has enjoyed a fine season at Suntory this campaign, guiding the side into the Japan Rugby League One semi-finals, where they will face Dave Rennie\u2019s Kobe Steelers. The Springbok has scored 10 tries in 17 appearances this campaign and has been entrusted with the goal-kicking duties throughout the season, which saw him top the point-scoring charts before the knockouts.<\/p>\n Predicting the Stormers\u2019 2026\/27 line-up after Cheslin Kolbe signing as Springbok signings add \u2018razzle-dazzle\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Kolbe wants to win trophies<\/p>\n His performances have earned him glowing praise from Eddie Jones, and Dobson referenced the Japan head coach when emphasising just how influential Kolbe will be at the Stormers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe heard Eddie Jones speak about him, and we watched some Japanese club games. Eddie said the other day, he\u2019s worked off the ball, his commitment, we know he\u2019s a prime athlete,\u201d Dobson continued.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a guy who will be playing for us in 2029. It\u2019s not a retirement thing; he wants to win trophies, and he\u2019s so excited.<\/p>\n \u201cHis commitment, he would earn multiples of what he is if he stayed in Japan; he\u2019d earn several fold on a commercial basis if he went to another franchise.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know the X factor, and we\u2019ve struggled this season. We\u2019re a transition-based team, and we\u2019ve probably lacked a bit of strike power out there. So he solves that. But then there\u2019s also the piece of what he brings to the whole project and to the city, and people are going to come watch it. It\u2019s really, really good news.\u201d<\/p>\n