The wife of Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe, Layla, has had enough of media reports painting her husband in a bad light.
Layla hit out on Facebook on Monday in response to a post by SA Rugby magazine claiming that Cheslin snubbed a R15m offer to rejoin the Stormers after leaving French club Toulon at the end of the season.
Layla also took aim at reports from last year suggesting Kolbe didn’t want to return to the Stormers for safety reasons.
Cheslin Kolbe asked the Stormers for R15m to return to Cape Town, they agreed to the amount and he turned them down, writes ZELIM NEL.https://t.co/cB4UuB18QD
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) June 6, 2023
Michael Yormark, president of Roc Nation Sports who represents Kolbe, was quoted by News24 at the time as saying: “Of course, Cheslin and Layla are going to be concerned about safety, whether in South Africa or France. That’s just something that goes hand in hand with parenting.
“When you talk about having two young girls, and then you think about the concerns around gender-based violence in South Africa, what parent wouldn’t be concerned? For them to be criticised when it relates to the safety of their children is to criticise good parenting.”
Following reports that her husband has snubbed the Stormers, with coach John Dobson also joking in an interview with Cape Talk that they had tried to sign Kolbe, but his price tag is probably the size of the “GDP of Lesotho”, Layla had her say.
She wrote in a Facebook post: “I am so sick and tired of having to read articles of us that are sensationalised and speculation!
“And we have to just sit back and watch how our name gets tarnished! First it was said its not safe in SA for us, now its this!!! Cheslin did not say its not safe enough in SA for us. He wouldve loved to go back to the Stormers!
“Secondly: he did not turn down no R15m offer!!!! That was not put on the table. Yes the wife spoke out.”
It has also been reported that Kolbe is on the verge of joining Suntory Sungoliath in a deal worth R22m a year.