John Dobson has praised Cheslin Kolbe for the “sacrifices” he has made to secure his return to the Stormers ahead of the 2026/27 season.
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.
It’s been nine years since Kolbe pulled on a Stormers jersey, with the 32-year-old enjoying stints at Toulouse, Toulon, and Suntory Sungoliath.
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 “Galactico’ deal” nor a retirement move, with Kolbe eager to win titles in Cape Town.
John Dobson: “Cheslin Kolbe is desperate to come back”
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, who made financial sacrifices to rejoin his old club.
“It’s been about four false starts over the years,” Dobson told reporters on Monday.
“He’s desperate to come back. The commitment that he made to come back, this is not a big Galactico signing, it’s a guy really, really wanting to come back to Cape Town, and he really wanted to play for the Stormers.
“He’s made a commercial sacrifice around that, which is highly appreciated by the team and shows his commitment to the team.”
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’s 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.
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Kolbe wants to win trophies
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.
“We heard Eddie Jones speak about him, and we watched some Japanese club games. Eddie said the other day, he’s worked off the ball, his commitment, we know he’s a prime athlete,” Dobson continued.
“This is a guy who will be playing for us in 2029. It’s not a retirement thing; he wants to win trophies, and he’s so excited.
“His commitment, he would earn multiples of what he is if he stayed in Japan; he’d earn several fold on a commercial basis if he went to another franchise.
“We all know the X factor, and we’ve struggled this season. We’re a transition-based team, and we’ve probably lacked a bit of strike power out there. So he solves that. But then there’s also the piece of what he brings to the whole project and to the city, and people are going to come watch it. It’s really, really good news.”
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Springboks signings are not ‘Galactico deals’
Siya Kolisi and Wilco Louw will also be returning to the Stormers next season from the Sharks and Bulls, respectively, and while Dobson admits that this could be seen as Galactico-esque signings, that is not the case.
“A lot of credit to Cheslin for making this happen because he had to do a lot of heavy lifting. He was under contract there; he had to make financial sacrifices. I know he wanted to be here,” he said.
“I’m aware of what people might say with us signing Springboks in Siya and Cheslin, but this is not a Galactico deal, it’s not a retirement deal. Those guys are sons of the Stormers who’ve made fantastic contributions to this project, who all made sacrifices.
“Cheslin is coming here to help us, hopefully win a trophy, and play for us. In 2029, he is only 34, can you imagine for a Josh Bulle, Markus Muller, or JC Mars to be playing with Cheslin Kolbe? And he’s such a good professional. It’s going to be brilliant. We’re so, so happy. I’m very grateful to everybody involved.”
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