Aplon hands Kolbe the baton
Gio Aplon will play his last game for the Stormers against the Sharks this weekend, and he is hoping that fellow flyer Cheslin Kolbe will take the baton from him in future.
The speedster from Hawston will be leaving Newlands after 10 years at the end of the season to link up with French club, Grenoble.
Aplon, 31, sees his departure as an opportunity for the next generation to come through the ranks and believes that Kolbe is the ideal candidate to replace him.
"I always said Cheslin Kolbe will be the next Gio. At the age of 20, I think he has more skills than I had at his age and he definitely has a bright future," he said.
Aplon and Kolbe both started their careers with the South African Sevens side, and Aplon said that he hopes Kolbe's size does not count against him when it comes to challenging for higher honours in the future.
"The main thing for me is that he gets a fair chance, based on his abilities and not getting judged on his size. We should maybe move away from picking a player based on stature and rather look at the ability that they can bring onto the field," he said.
The Stormers veteran believes that the combination of a more expansive game and the young talent coming through the ranks this season are good signs for the future of the Cape side.
"I think we have made had a mind shift towards how we want to play in the future. Knowing where we came from, being conservative and making the semifinals through that approach, to being more expansive is a healthy balance.
"The way we played in the first half [against the Bulls] last Saturday showed that and it's what the supporters want to see.
"Playing an attacking game is where we are heading to and we have the personnel to do that. The squad's depth and young talent coming through will help us dominate both the Currie Cup and Super Rugby," he said.
He had plenty of praise for the Newlands faithful who stuck by him and the team through the good and bad times.
"The fans have really meant a lot to me throughout the years and it was great walking into some of them and they encourage you, no matter what.
"It didn't only benefit me as a player but also as a person. I'm very thankful for that. They are here every match day, whether we won our last game or not and are still loyal. That's special about WP, that's the thing I'm going to miss. For me, they are people who became part of my life and really helped me to become a better person," he added.
Although he is moving to France, Aplon won't be lost to South Africa, as he said that his dream of playing for the Springboks still burns strongly.
"I am absolutely still available to play for the Springboks. It would be a dream to play for them again and to play in a world cup again would be fantastic," he said.
There are no less than seven current Springboks plying their trade in leagues across Europe, but Aplon has stated that, if the opportunity arises, he would not want to be selected above a more deserving, locally based player.
"I won't be selfish and expect to be picked over a locally based player. I will never stand in the way of someone who is of the same quality, and based in SA, and would deserve a better chance than me. My dream of playing for the Springboks again will only die one day when I can't run anymore," he added.
By Tauriq Ebrahim
