"Rise: A Siya Kolisi Story" is a powerful and inspiring documentary that chronicles the journey of Siya Kolisi, the first Black captain of the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks. The film delves into Kolisi's remarkable rise from poverty and adversity to become a national hero, leading the Springboks to a historic victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He also led the team to victory in the subsequent Rugby World Cup last year in 2023. He is one of only two captains to have achieved this in the history of the sport of rugby.
While the documentary does capture the excitement of rugby and the 2019 World Cup, and Siya's incredible achievements, it is not just about rugby. It's really about overcoming obstacles, achieving greatness, and uniting a nation. Kolisi's story is one of resilience, determination, and leadership. He faced prejudice and discrimination throughout his life, but he never gave up on his dream of being a great rugby player.
Siya Kolisi was born in Port Elizabeth, on the south coast of South Africa east of Cape Town. The city is now called Gqeberha, for the river that winds through the city. To say Siya was born into a disadvantaged and underprivileged setting is an understatement. There were a lot of daily difficulties for the people in the poverty-stricken neighborhood where he lived and everyone struggled to survive. Siya himself had a very tough childhood. His father was abusive towards his mother and the dad left the family for good. So Siya was raised by his mom, for as long as she could manage it, and then by his grandmother, and then his aunt, all three of whom passed away while he was young. By the time he was 15 years old he was working illegally at a bar just to get money for food. The one thing that brought him joy was the sport of rugby. And he was good at it. So much so that a scout from a local boarding school, Grey High School, spotted him and recruited him for the school on a full scholarship. (Side note: the scholarship was anonymously funded by a school alum who lives in the NYC area).
Kolisi recalls his first days at the boarding school where he was blown away at the things he never had. At the boarding school hostel where he lived he received numerous meals a day instead of, often, just one meal a day prior to that (if you count one slice of bread a meal). Another novelty was that there was a rugby jersey for each student at the school, including himself, instead of the boys sharing jerseys. And Siya talks about extra pairs of socks being significant. A normal amount of clothing and food were all novelties to him at the time.
So, Siya Kolisi entered the school a very humble young man, but he soon stood out as a rugby player. He thrived under the leadership of the teachers and the school rector, Mr. Christian Erasmus. The school is over 150 years old and has a long tradition of producing top sportsmen in South Africa. Grey emphasizes balance between mind, body and soul. It is a place where each student can realize his intellectual and physical potential. Students were and are encouraged to be self-reliant and adaptable, and they learn values like honesty, fairness and service. So what would be considered extra curricular at many schools was not so at Grey. Activities like sports, music and giving back to the community were just as important as academics. Siya embraced these things and embodied the values of the school. He finished high school with, self-admittedly, a very different mindset than he had when he was initially recruited. He said that attending Grey dared him to dream big and believe that he can achieve anything he set his mind to, even to be a professional rugby player someday. Well, he achieved that, and then some. He talks openly about not even having the same thoughts prior to that point though. His life was on a different trajectory.
After high school Siya was indeed recruited to play professional club rugby. Within a short period he started playing for the Stormers (Cape Town pro rugby team), then the Sharks (Durban team), and he ultimately got selected for the national team, the Springboks. His humility, work ethic, and his empathetic nature saw him get selected as team captain. The Springbok coach at the time was another gent named Erasmus, first name Rassie. Under Rassie's guidance Siya flourished as a captain and the duo went on to win the World Cup title, as a coach/captain match up, twice in a row.
Last year Siya moved to France and currently plays for Racing 92, a professional team in the French Top 14 league. His salary this year, in just one year, will be more than he could have earned in South Africa in a regular job in multiple lifetimes. Needless to say, Siya still gives back to those in need. The not for profit foundation that he started with his wife has been instrumental in helping ten of thousands of people through their struggles with poverty, violence and the fallout from the COVID pandemic.
His strength and compassion are an inspiration to people of all ages and backgrounds. Not unlike his hero, Nelson Mandela, who is also from the Eastern Cape and who was also Xhosa-speaking, like Siya. In fact, Kolisi's first name is actually Siyamthanda, which translates into "we love him". Pretty appropriate name given the millions of South Africans who now look up to Kolisi as their hero. He is no longer just a sportsman. And the story of Siya Kolisi is still being written. He got sponsored by Red Bull and he has signed as a client of Jay-Z's agency, Roc Nation. And he has seems to have encouraged other Springbok players to do the same. Now you see photos of Siya at events with many of the world's best sports celebrities and leaders, like Alex Ferguson and David Beckham. Apart from his rugby achievements on the field and his philanthropic work in South Africa, who knows what else his future holds.
Siya's incredible life story is sure to resonate with many people around the world. It is one of triumph over adversity, and a reminder that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Now he just needs to convince Rassie Erasmus to make him team captain one more time so that he can have a shot at leading the Springboks to their third World Cup title in a row in Australia in 2027. Then Siyamthanda "Siya" Kolisi may as well just assume the South African presidency. He will have the political capital to get elected at that point. Either way, Madiba would be proud.
I guess daring to dream is contagious after all.
