Springboks winger Cheslin Kolbe has reportedly turned down an offer to play for the DHL Stormers, in favour of a ‘mega-deal’ move to Japan.
Kolbe is set to leave his current club Toulon this Summer, with reports stating that the front-runners for his signature is Tokyo side Suntory Sungoliath. SA Rugby Mag reported how Kolbe is said to have turned down the Stormers, who offered the 29-year-old R15 million (approx. £629,000) per season.
This is the second attempt the Stormers have made to bring Kolbe to Cape Town, as they reportedly offered the Springboks star R11 million (£460,000) last season. The 2019 Rugby World Cup winner’s deal is made all that more lucrative, when it is compared to other South African internationals.
Rugby Mag SA reported that the average Springbok playing in South Africa earns between R5.5 and R7 million a year (approx. £230,000 – £293,000). Also, In a similar case, Eben Etzebeth is said to have taken a pay cut after being released from Toulon, where he was paid R18 million, (approx. £735,000) before he joined to the Cell C Sharks.
Kolbe’s reported offered salary with Suntory Sungoliath is staggering, as the Japanese club are said to have put R22 million (approx. £921,000) out on the table for the winger.
In an interview with Cape Talk, Stormers coach John Dobson said Kolbe’s services would have cost “a number that probably was the GDP of Lesotho” Kolbe left Toulon before his contract expired, after a mutual agreement between the club and the player.
Main image credit: Stefano Delfrate (license)