[imagesource:rugbyonslaught]

When Cheslin Kolbe looked Owen Farrell straight in the eyes and then left him for dead, he cemented his place in rugby immortality.

Truth be told, his performances earlier in the Rugby World Cup had already made him a global superstar, and those who had been watching him in France in the seasons leading up to the tournament would have seen it coming.

Ag, why not? Let’s enjoy that World Cup final try one more time:

Guaranteed to turn a terrible Monday around.

Kolbe is the world’s most exciting winger, but this past weekend he made his first-ever appearance at flyhalf for Toulouse in the French Top 14 clash against Racing 92 yesterday.

Before we get to the match highlights, and the result, here’s a compilation of some of Kolbe’s standout moments:

Sadly, Toulouse went down 30-27 to a last-gasp try, but the reviews of Kolbe’s performance were positive.

SA Rugby Mag says he “produced a solid performance”, whereas Rugby Onslaught said he “dazzled” and showed great confidence on the ball.

It was certainly unusual to see him lining up kicks at goal, although he did rack up 10 points with a few solid efforts.

After the match, Kolbe was understandably disappointed with the late defeat. Below via Sport24:

“It hurts going down in the last minute. We had the game in the bag. It’s really disappointing,” Kolbe said.

“I haven’t been at flyhalf for a very long time. It’s a different game, it’s a different way of thinking about how you have to manage a game by giving the calls for the lineouts and the scrums.”

Well, if anyone can step up to the plate at short notice, then he’s the man.

Springbok fans, and those who enjoy watching the fleet-footed superstar in action, will also be stoked to find out that Kolbe is in talks with SA Rugby about playing at the Summer Olympics later this year.

Again from Sport24:

Kolbe, 26, who won a bronze medal at Rio 2016, said in November he was eyeing winning gold but had yet to speak to the governing body about featuring in Japan between July 27-August 1.

“I am in talks with them but there has to be decisions made whether I can go or if I have to stay. We still have to wait on that decision,” he said after Toulouse’s late defeat…

“Playing in the Olympics, representing your country at one of the biggest stages of the world is a big opportunity. If I can go it will be a blessing. I also don’t want to get ahead of myself,” he added.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself either, but get him in that squad and the gold medal is coming home.

[sources:sport24&sport24]