Eddie Jones has given an emphatic endorsement of world champion winger Cheslin Kolbe.
Speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast, Jones singled out Kolbe’s relentless work rate and enthusiasm for the game, describing him as one of the most driven players he has coached or encountered – even after the demands of a full international season.
“Cheslin Kolbe is by far the most enthusiastic player at [Japanese club] Suntory [Sungoliath] by a mile … by an absolute mile,” Jones said. “If you come from Mars and go watch rugby on the weekend, you’ll think this guy’s from a different planet.”
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What struck Jones most was not just Kolbe’s skill, but his appetite for work even after gruelling international duty with the world champions.
“He’s just finished a hard tour. Those November tours are hard,” Jones said. “But he comes back, he’s the guy who chases the kicks the hardest, he’s the guy who gets back the hardest from kick return. He’s just got such a great enthusiasm for the game.”
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For Jones, that enthusiasm is not incidental but rather the engine behind sustained excellence.
“If they love the game, they just want to keep getting better because they want to keep playing the game,” he said. “They’re the players you really want in the team.”
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Photo: Joe Allison/Getty Images
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