Cheslin Kolbe will play out his club career outside of South Africa after the Sharks confirmed the Springbok dynamo is not on their radar.

Though Kolbe was linked with a move to Durban after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee ruled out this possibility.

“Cheslin Kolbe won’t be joining the Sharks now or after the World Cup,” Coetzee told SA Rugby magazine.

Kolbe will in all likelihood settle in France and play out the remainder of his top flight club rugby in the Top 14.

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Kolbe had the chance to come home and finish his career as an icon of Western Province Rugby, but he turned it down.

In response to engagement from Kolbe’s agents, the Stormers packaged a deal of a lifetime for the Springbok dynamo. As reported by Netwerk24, the 28-year-old was presented with a five-year contract to the value of R55-million with multiple perks, including employment for his wife.

The offer highlights the Stormers’ lofty ambitions and commitment to sustained success after clinching the inaugural Vodacom United Rugby Championship title, and it included a proviso to accommodate Kolbe’s wish to remain in France until January when he and his family would qualify for French citizenship.

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SARugbymag.co.za has been reliably informed that the Toulon star agreed to the offer in principle before he shocked the decision-makers at WP Rugby with a sudden change of heart. It is understood that Kolbe, represented by Roc Nation, turned down the blockbuster deal on the basis of “safety and security” concerns.

He famously dodged the perils of being exposed to gangsterism as a youth but if he now believed Cape Town posed a security risk, it raises questions over why his family continues to reside in Kraaifontein, and why he would be identified as an ambassador for Investec SA.

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