‘My son almost didn’t know it was me’: Cheslin Kolbe returns to SA

Springboks player Cheslin Kolbe returned to South Africa after four months and has was warmly welcomed by his family as seen in an Instagram Reel on Monday 3 June.

CHESLIN KOLBE RETURNS TO SOUTH AFRICA


 

It’s been four months since he has been home, and Cheslin Kolbe has officially touched down in South African soil. In an Instagram Reel shared on Monday 3 June, Kolbe shared a video of his kids welcoming him back home. Cheslin Kolbe is married to Layla Kolbe. The pair tied the knot in September 2016.

Layla and Kolbe have three kids together – Kylah (6), Mila Sky (3) and Cayden (1). In the video, Kylah and Mila are seen running to the arrivals gate as their dad entered. While Cheslin walked back to see his son, Cayden, who he felt “almost didn’t know him”. However, he expressed that he feels blessed to be reunited with his family.

Kolbe was also seen taking a photo with a fan while he was greeting his family. It also seems that his first South African meal may have been Nandos. Take a look…

“4 Months later. Scary to see how much has changed. My son almost didn’t know it was me 😂. Best feeling being united with my crew again.
Love you❤️🙏🏻,” he captioned the post.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Cheslin Kolbe (@cheslinkolbe)

THE RUGBY STAR ALREADY GONE?
Layla revealed that her husband flew in to Cape Town, South Africa in the evening, and had to fly back out the next morning. So, they only had a little while with the rugby star. The mom of three expressed sadness over only getting to see her husband for a small amount of time. Take a look…

“This morning I had to tell my kids ‘it was all a dream,’ @cheslinkolbe came home last night and had the first flight out this morning again! For a split second everything just fell so normal again. 🥹,” read the caption.

Kolbe plays for Tokyo Sungoliath in the Japan Rugby League One. He plays the wing position. So, he was based in Tokyo, while his family had returned to South Africa.

This comes after Springboks flyhalf, Handre Pollard and his wife, Marise returned to South Africa from the UK. The pair moved to the UK in 2022, when Handre signed a R14 million a year contract with Leicester Tigers. Now, they have brought their one-month-old son Hunter to meet his grandparents in South Africa.