Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is known for his love of singing but his move to France has silenced the loud backing he enjoyed from his teammates and fans. He is now singing his game morale-boosting Xhosa songs alone.
The former Sharks player moved to France this year to join his new club Racing 92 and the move to a foreign country, as can be expected, came with many changes to the Bok captain’s life.
One of these changes is not getting the loud backing from teammates when he sings his Xhosa gwijo (songs) when preparing for a game or walking through the tunnel after a brutal first-half.
Kolisi seems to only have his lovely wife Rachel to sing along with him in the absence of his team's backing.
In previous media interviews, Kolisi described singing as a tool he and his teammates used to unite the squad and uplift their spirits before and after games.
“Singing is deeper for us as South Africans. We sing when we are hungry, on days when we are cold and when we are sad. Singing brings unity. Before we play a game we sing because it connects us. We do not even need to warm up after we sing,” he said.
Some songs for Kolisi marked life changing moments in his career and are embedded with emotions.
“When I was 15, I played club rugby and the day before I played my first professional rugby game the guys sang me this song 'mama ndizom'thini lomntwana, ndifuna umenza iBhokobhoko [mother, what I am going to do with this child, I want to make him a Springbok],” Kolisi said, recounting what one of the songs mean to him in a short video on DStv.
This week, the Bok flanker turned to social media and shared a video singing “labafana aba wrongo (these boys are bad)” with his wife in what he said was an attempt to recruit a gwijo team in France. Kolisi called on prospective gwijo singers in France to post videos of themselves to audition.
The video has more than 40,000 views on Instagram and though Kolisi has not pulled managed yet to get a singing team together, Rachel on the other hand won fans' hearts with her backing.
WATCH | Rachel and Siya Kolisi sing ‘labafana aba wrongo’ as they search for a 'gwijo' team in France
Rachel Kolisi warms hearts as she sings along in an attempt to help her husband in his search for a “gwijo” team in France.
Image: Siya Kolisi
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is known for his love of singing but his move to France has silenced the loud backing he enjoyed from his teammates and fans. He is now singing his game morale-boosting Xhosa songs alone.
The former Sharks player moved to France this year to join his new club Racing 92 and the move to a foreign country, as can be expected, came with many changes to the Bok captain’s life.
One of these changes is not getting the loud backing from teammates when he sings his Xhosa gwijo (songs) when preparing for a game or walking through the tunnel after a brutal first-half.
Kolisi seems to only have his lovely wife Rachel to sing along with him in the absence of his team's backing.
In previous media interviews, Kolisi described singing as a tool he and his teammates used to unite the squad and uplift their spirits before and after games.
“Singing is deeper for us as South Africans. We sing when we are hungry, on days when we are cold and when we are sad. Singing brings unity. Before we play a game we sing because it connects us. We do not even need to warm up after we sing,” he said.
Some songs for Kolisi marked life changing moments in his career and are embedded with emotions.
“When I was 15, I played club rugby and the day before I played my first professional rugby game the guys sang me this song 'mama ndizom'thini lomntwana, ndifuna umenza iBhokobhoko [mother, what I am going to do with this child, I want to make him a Springbok],” Kolisi said, recounting what one of the songs mean to him in a short video on DStv.
This week, the Bok flanker turned to social media and shared a video singing “labafana aba wrongo (these boys are bad)” with his wife in what he said was an attempt to recruit a gwijo team in France. Kolisi called on prospective gwijo singers in France to post videos of themselves to audition.
The video has more than 40,000 views on Instagram and though Kolisi has not pulled managed yet to get a singing team together, Rachel on the other hand won fans' hearts with her backing.
‘I wouldn’t be alive today if I didn’t have rugby’, says Siya Kolisi
Social media user Nobubele Mlindi wrote: “I love Rachie, Rachel was born at such a time. It's funny how you are teaching us so many things including values without you knowing. It's a perfect kind of teaching. I do not know how it happens that when we see our captain, we see your reflection more.”
Tshilisano Denga wrote: “I love that Rachel is just there to give you moral support.”
Though the language barrier might make Kolisi’s search difficult, it continues.
Watch Kolisi singing with the Boks:
READ MORE:
WATCH | Siya Kolisi welcomed warmly at his new French club Racing 92
I sing the body eclectic: rethinking opera for a more inclusive world
WATCH | Gwijo Squad's support for the Boks will give you all the feels
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