Springbok superstar Cheslin Kolbe put on an absolute masterclass during South Africa’s emphatic 80-31 victory over the Barbarians in Gqeberha, but his 23-point haul came at a bizarre and painful price.
In a shocking post-try moment that has quickly gone viral on social media, the explosive winger was left requiring medical attention after a broadcast cameraman collided head-on with him on the touchline.
Hit-and-Run on the Touchline: The Incident
The freak accident occurred right after Kolbe smoothly slotted an impressive sideline conversion. A TV cameraman, heavily laden with a bulky, metal-framed camera rig, sprinted directly into the player’s path.
Unbelievably, the impact caught Kolbe flush in the face. To make matters worse, the operator failed to stop, completely ignoring the World Cup hero to walk away while Bok medical staff rushed to attend to the bleeding speedster.
Hope Cheslin Kolbe is okay.#Springbokspic.twitter.com/mQ7zDGag7Y
— Sardieq (@SardieqWP) June 21, 2026
Fortunately, Kolbe escaped what could have been a tournament-ending injury. After being patched up on the sidelines for a nasty laceration to his cheek, the resilient utility back got straight back to doing what he does best: tormenting the Barbarians’ defensive line.
A 23-Point Masterclass (And a Shift at Scrumhalf)
The facial injury barely slowed Kolbe down as he spearheaded South Africa’s 12-try demolition. The Tokyo Sungoliath star ended the afternoon with a staggering 23 personal points, consisting of:
- 1 brilliant individual try
- 9 successful conversions from the kicking tee
Proving his status as rugby’s ultimate Swiss Army knife, Kolbe even stepped up to play a flawless cameo at scrumhalf later in the game after regular number 9 Grant Williams was sent to the sin-bin with a yellow card.
With the Barbarians warm-up officially ticked off, Rassie Erasmus will breathe a massive sigh of relief that his premier attacking weapon walked away from the bizarre broadcast collision relatively unscathed ahead of the July Nations Championship opener against England.
