Durban — Siya Kolisi endeared himself to English rugby fans by conducting a marathon signing session at The Stoop which ended with him barefoot in the cold after he gave his socks away.
Harlequins' home ground had just witnessed a pulsating Heineken Cup match, won 39-29 by the home team and featuring nine tries between the teams.
Nearly an hour after the final whistle, #SiyaKolisi still signing shirts and doing selfies at the Stoop. About a hundred fans still waiting for him. Last player I remember getting this kind of reaction was Jonny Wilkinson pic.twitter.com/2Wtjbiefqc
— Sara Orchard (@Sara_Orchard) January 21, 2023
An hour after the game, Kolisi was still braving the cold as he left no fan wanting and by the time all were satisfied, the Springbok captain was barefoot in the frost.
A report by the BBC said: “At the bottom of the Charles Stanley stand, over a hundred fans remained for over an hour — arms outstretched as they thrust rugby balls, replica shirts and scraps of paper towards South Africa captain Siya Kolisi.
“He obliged with signatures and selfies — and when one fan asked for his black-and-white socks, he yanked them off and stood for a further 20 minutes barefoot in the cold.”
For much of that time, Eben Etzebeth stood side by side with his Springbok teammate and the BBC report concluded: “Should anyone have needed tangible proof that South African clubs have added value to European club rugby, this was it.”
Etzebeth, who stunned viewers by audaciously stealing the ball from the feet of the Quins scrumhalf to gallop 50m for a try, further endeared himself when he said after the match: “It is the best club competition in the world. I have been a part of Super Rugby and the Top 14 and the URC but the Champions Cup is something special, something different.”
English rugby commentator Sara Orchard was on duty at The Stoop and photographed Kolisi attending to his fans, and commented: “The last player I remember getting this much attention was Jonny Wilkinson.”
IOL Sport