Breaking news:Springboks: Siya Kolisi puts a timeline on his retirement and what he wants to do next
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has revealed his plans for his post-rugby career and immediate future with Racing 92.
Entering the later stages of his career, Kolisi, 32, already has plans for retirement after leading South Africa to consecutive World Cup championships.
The former England and Manchester United footballer David Beckham gave the 83-cap flanker advice, telling the captain of the Bok that he should start making plans for life after sport at least eight years before he retires.
Siya Kolisi’s retirement timeline
Though he has repeatedly declined, rugby legend Kolisi has expressed interest in pursuing a career in politics. Although he has no imminent plans to hang up his boots, he does have a clear concept of what he wants to do after his playing days are over.
“Let’s see how that unfolds, I signed for three seasons at Racing. If my body holds up, I hope to continue playing for another five years, Kolisi stated during an interview with former Springboks Rudy Paige and Juan de Jongh on the Behind the Ruck Podcast.
“The foundation is the most important thing, and that’s what I want to work for when I go back home.”
“The foundation is mine and Rachel’s [his wife] – the Kolisi Foundation. We started after the 2019 World Cup. During Covid, we started with food donations and PPC because public hospitals and public clinics were the last people to get it. We bought PPC for them, sanitisers, gloves and all the stuff so they can help people.
“We also needed to help people stay at home. I knew coming from the township [Zwide], when I was hungry, I would go out and ask my neighbour, so I thought, ‘Okay, let’s donate food.’
“We couldn’t do a lot, it was only 500, but we donated for three months. The meals were enough, or the grocery was enough; it could fill six people for a month. I know how it is in the community, we always share.”
What ‘drives’ him and the Springboks
Kolisi has often spoken about his upbringing and how his struggles drove him to become a success.
It has also taught him to be resilient, with his rapid recovery from a knee injury that threatened his World Cup involvement, being a perfect example of his dedication.
“People grow up in the townships, it’s poor, but the stuff that you learn there, ubuntu, I learned all of that there, people are resilient,” he added.
“They say people are lazy in the townships, but I grew up in a place where my uncles, my dad, my grandfather, they used to wake up at four in the morning, go stand on the side of the highway to wait for someone to pick them up so they can cut their grass or do any kind of work.
“The hard work and the resilience, that all comes from there, and also not complaining when you don’t have stuff, and making use of what’s nearby. That is South Africa and who we are.
For this reason, handling pressure is simple because it’s all part of the game. Every day we face stressful situations, and I believe that’s what motivates us as a group since we understand what other people are going through.
“Being from that kind of background, all I could think about when I was there was getting by and getting a meal for that day. But now that we’ve accomplished it, people can look at us and say things like, ‘I can start dreaming about becoming Springbok captain, I can start dreaming of winning a World Cup.'”
