Siya Kolisi wins the Laureus Sporting Moment award
He just can’t stop winning.
Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi has added yet another honour to his achievements, as his journey to lead the men in green and gold was voted the Laureus Sporting Moment for July.
The flanker made history early this year when he became the first black African to captain the Boks when he was named as skipper ahead of the three-match series against a touring England side in June.
The inspirational moment when he led his teammates out in the first Test at Ellis Park – his first as captain – saw him scoop up the newly-launched Sports Moment of the Month award, beating the likes of Spanish soccer legend Andres Iniesta, whose emotional farewell from long-time club Barcelona also cracked a nod.
Siya Kolisi inspirational rise from growing up in the Zwide Township to becoming the first black Springbok Test captain has been selected as 1 of the 4 moments for the July Laureus Sporting Moment.
Head to https://t.co/MkACKtjnkr now and make your mark for our Captain! 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/S0wDH323wL— Laureus South Africa (@Laureus_sa) July 2, 2018
Watch: Siya Kolisi sends a heart-warming thank you message to a young fan
Having grabbed the accolade for July, Kolisi will slug it out with other monthly award winners for the big prize, the Moment of the Year award, which is set to be announced at next year’s Laureus Sports Awards.
As voted by you, the inspiring journey of Siya Kolisi to @Springboks captain wins the #LaureusSportingMoment for the month of July! 🏉🇿🇦
Congratulations Siya! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/74p8LkfasC
— Laureus (@LaureusSport) August 1, 2018
Well done Siya on this magnificent accolade from @LaureusSport – we’re all very proud! #LoveRugby https://t.co/Bt47olZDmN
— South African Rugby (@Springboks) August 1, 2018
A winning start for Siya Kolisi
Kolisi enjoyed a dream start to Springbok captaincy, as he led his side to a 2-1 series win over England after coming from behind to secure a 42-39 win in a thrilling encounter at Ellis Park, which they followed with another in similar fashion on his 27th birthday to secure the series by winning 21-12 in Bloemfontein.
However, the tourists were able to secure a consolation win in the dead-rubber encounter at a wet Newlands.
The Springboks’ next assignment will be in the Rugby Championship, where they open their campaign with back-to-back clashes against Argentina, the first one kicking off in Durban on Saturday, 18 August before both sides jet off to Mendoza for the return leg.
Watch: Here’s what Kolisi said to inspire the Boks to a comeback