Siya Kolisi
- Birth name: Siyamthanda Kolisi
- Born: 16 June 1991
- Place of birth: Zwide, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa (specifically Port Elizabeth)
- Nationality: South African
- Main activity: Professional rugby union player (loose forward, flanker), captain of the South Africa national team (Springboks)
Career
Siya Kolisi's rugby journey began with talent discovered at a youth tournament at age 12, leading to a scholarship at Grey Junior and then Grey High School in Port Elizabeth. He was part of the Eastern Province Kings youth set-up (2007-2009) before joining Western Province in 2010. He made his senior debut for Western Province in 2011 and graduated to the Stormers squad in 2012, quickly becoming a key player. He was appointed captain of the Stormers in 2017. In May 2018, he made history by being appointed captain of the Springboks, becoming the first black test player to captain the team in its 129-year history. He led the Springboks to Rugby World Cup victories in 2019 and again in 2023, making him only the second captain to achieve back-to-back victories. After playing for the Stormers (2012-2020) and Sharks (2021-2023), he moved to Racing 92 in France (2023-2024), and then rejoined the Sharks in 2024. He was also designated a Global Advocate for the Spotlight Initiative (as of July 2020) to raise awareness about violence against women and girls.
Family
Siya Kolisi was married to Rachel Kolisi. They have two biological children, Nicholas Siyamthanda and Keziah. In 2018, they also took in Siya's two half-siblings, Liyema and Liphelo, after their mother passed away. Siya and Rachel confirmed their split via a joint statement on Instagram. Together, they established the Kolisi Foundation in March 2020, which focuses on community upliftment, alleviating extreme poverty, mentoring underprivileged youth, and promoting equality.
Dating/relationship history
Siya Kolisi was married to Rachel Kolisi. Their relationship timeline includes meeting in 2012, becoming official in 2013, welcoming their first child Nicholas in 2015, getting engaged in 2016, marrying later in 2016, and welcoming their daughter Keziah in 2017. They also took in Siya's half-siblings in 2018. Their divorce was recently announced via social media.
Awards
- 2019 Rugby World Cup Winner (as Captain)
- 2019 New African magazine's list of 100 Most Influential Africans
- 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa: Winning Captain
- 2021 Prince William Cup: Winning Captain
- 2022 Prince William Cup: Winning Captain
- 2023 Rugby World Cup Winner (as Captain)
- 2023 Qatar Airways Cup: Winning Captain
- 2023 Prince William Cup: Winning Captain
- April 2023: National Order of Ikhamanga by the South African Government for his contributions to rugby.
2024: Won the most trophies in one year as Springboks Captain, including:
- The Qatar Airways Cup
- The Mandela Challenge Plate (Winning Captain)
- The Freedom Cup (Winning Captain)
- The Rugby Championship (Winning Captain)
- The Prince William Cup (Winning Captain)
