Grey High School in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape made history by renaming its main field “The Kolisi Field” after Springbok Captain Siya Kolisi on Saturday.
For decades the rugby grounds were previously known as the Philip field. The tribute to Kolisi is the second such by an Eastern Cape school. Recently, Queen’s College renamed its main grandstand after old boy, Kaya Malotana, who was the first black player to represent the Springboks, when he debuted at the Rugby World Cup in 1999.
For the momentous occasion, in conjunction with Grey’s first reunion since the outbreak of COVID-19, Grey College hosted Queen’s College for the last match on the Phillip field.
Kolisi, who matriculated from the school in 2009, was a key player in the first team. Kolisi shared his first moments at Grey High.
“It’s something that in my wildest dreams, I never would have thought of. I think coming to Grey alone was a big thing, I remember being in the car with my mom, she couldn’t speak English. I couldn’t. As I came in this school my mother was telling me that I should work hard. And as I came in I had my wildest my wildest dreams when I saw the infrastructure.”
Kolisi said he is humbled by the honour.
“I don’t take this lightly and I know it’s not a light decision and I’m grateful. It’s a huge honour, I love this school, I’ll always support it, and I take a huge responsibility on what I need to do as a human in the society”, he says.
The school says the renaming was mooted back in 2018 — and gained momentum after the World Cup. Reported by Yolanda Kambile.
Grey honours Boks captain renaming Philip rugby field as the Kolisi field:
