Springboks Captain Siya Kolisi Named Pick n Pay Ambassador as Retailer Deepens Bok Partnership
- Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has landed a high-profile ambassadorial deal with Pick n Pay as the retailer strengthens its footprint in South African rugby
- The agreement follows Pick n Pay’s elevation to Tier 1 sponsor status with SA Rugby, with the brand now featuring on Springbok jerseys after a major shift in the sponsorship landscape
- The partnership places strong emphasis on community impact, aligning Kolisi’s leadership influence with Pick n Pay’s long-term social investment initiatives
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has secured a major commercial deal with retail giant Pick n Pay, further strengthening the brand’s growing association with South African rugby.
Source: Getty Images
In an announcement on Thursday, 5 February 2026, Pick n Pay unveiled Kolisi as its official brand ambassador, a move that comes amid the retailer’s deepening partnership with the Springboks.
Pick n Pay has steadily increased its presence in rugby since becoming the national team’s official grocery partner in 2025 under a four-year Tier 1 sponsorship agreement with SA Rugby. Following the expiry of MTN’s sponsorship deal, Pick n Pay’s branding now features on Springbok jerseys, signalling its elevated role within the sport.
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Kolisi’s ambassadorial role officially began with visits to Pick n Pay stores in Waterfront and Constantia, marking the start of what the retailer describes as a value-driven collaboration rather than a conventional celebrity endorsement.
Pick n Pay CEO Sean Summers said Kolisi’s leadership qualities made him a natural fit for the brand.
“Siya represents leadership with integrity, humility and heart, qualities that resonate deeply with who we are as a business,” Summers said.
“This partnership is about shared values and showing up for South Africans in ways that are real, consistent and meaningful.”
Siya Kolisi and Pick n Pay community focus
Managing executive for Pick n Pay’s retail division, Dallas Langman, said the collaboration would centre on community-focused initiatives linked to the Springboks captain’s influence and personal story.
He explained that Kolisi will help highlight “the people behind the brand, from store teams to suppliers, and the role Pick n Pay plays in homes and communities across South Africa”. Kolisi, one of the most recognisable figures in South African sport, said he was proud to be associated with a brand that has long formed part of everyday life for many families.
“Pick n Pay genuinely cares and acts where it matters,” Kolisi said.
“It’s a brand my family and millions of South Africans have grown up with.”
The partnership also builds on the long-standing relationship between Pick n Pay’s Feed the Nation Foundation and the Kolisi Foundation, founded by Siya and Rachel Kolisi. Launched during the Covid-19 pandemic, Feed the Nation focuses on addressing hunger and food insecurity by supporting schools, child-headed households and vulnerable communities across South Africa.
The Kolisi Foundation works with community-based organisations to drive long-term change through sport and education, address gender-based violence and improve food security. Pick n Pay said the two foundations have collectively served more than 19 million meals over the course of their six-year collaboration.
Source: Getty Images
Pick n Pay Springboks sponsorship
Pick n Pay officially entered the Springboks sponsorship space in March 2025, signing a four-year Tier 1 deal with SA Rugby. The partnership marked a shift in SA Rugby’s sponsorship model. While FNB retains branding on the front of the Springboks’ match jersey, Pick n Pay’s logo appears on the back, with the positions reversed on training kits.
Summers said the decision to align with the Springboks was driven by what the team represents beyond rugby.
“The Springboks bring a sense of unity that is hard to replicate,” he said.
“For a business with around 90,000 people across Pick n Pay and Boxer, that sense of collective pride has been incredibly powerful.”
He added that the sponsorship reinforces Pick n Pay’s long-standing reputation as a trusted South African brand and corporate citizen, while renewing its focus on community investment, schools and grassroots initiatives.
Kolisi is not the only Springbok capitalising on the team’s commercial appeal in 2026. In January, Eben Etzebeth secured a partnership with an outdoor gear brand, while rising star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was unveiled as the face of a skincare brand in February. More companies continue to seek opportunities to leverage the growing commercial power of the Springboks brand.
World Rugby clarifies on red cards
Briefly News previously reported that the global rugby governing body, World Rugby, has moved to make red card rules clearer with a new directive issued to referees ahead of the 2026 Six Nations.
Towards the end of the 2025 rugby season, several controversial sending-offs during the Quilter Nations Series affected the Springboks.
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Source: Briefly News
