Cheslin Kolbe is set to return to South Africa after confirming he is leaving Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, the Japanese club he has been with. Multiple South African outlets report that the Springbok winger is moving back to the Stormers, where he joins Siya Kolisi in Cape Town for the next season.
Kolbe’s departure is described as linked to family reasons, and his return is also framed as an emotional homecoming. News24 and IOL report that Kolbe has communicated his farewell to his Japanese team ahead of the move, while The Citizen and IOL say the Stormers have announced his return and that he is going back to his boyhood club.
The reports also note Kolbe’s earlier Stormers career before he left in 2017, after which he played rugby in France and Japan. The move is being positioned by some outlets as part of the Stormers’ wider planning for “Project 2029,” aimed at strengthening the squad for the coming seasons.
