Youth Weeks Throwback - Kolisi

This year will be the 53rd year since its inception that the best schoolboy players will gather at the respective tournaments - which have produced over 260 Springboks - and continue to be the arena where heroes are made.

Each week leading up to the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks, we're going to tip our hat to a Springbok player whose career took off at one of these highly esteemed competitions. By highlighting his career, we'll be touching on the impact, support and experience gained during his school years.

The Coca-Cola Youth Weeks starts in July with the U-13 Coca-Cola Craven Week and U-16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week from July 4-8 at Paarl Gymnasium. The U18 Coca-Cola Craven and Academy Weeks will run from July 11-16 at Kearsney College in Durban.

Siyamthanda Kolisi

Siyamthanda Kolisi was a schoolboy star for Grey High School in Port Elizabeth, where he represented the Eastern Province in both the Under-16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week and U-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week.

These tournaments were the springboard for his career, as he was quickly signed by Western Province after a strong showing at the Coca-Cola Craven Week. A player who has faced adversity his entire life, Kolisi has risen to the occasion time and time again, making the most of his opportunities for Western Province and the Stormers, which lead to his Test debut for the Springboks in 2013.

Since then he has been an essential part of the Springbok squad, continuing to dominate both the loose and tight facets of the game.