SA Rugby
Grey High School in Gqeberha will be honouring Springbok World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi by renaming its main rugby field after him.
The renaming of the Phillip Field to the Kolisi Field will take place on Saturday 14 May during the annual Old Greys Reunion week.
Kolisi attended Grey High School until matric and played in the school’s first team in 2008 and 2009.
The renaming of the Philip Field to the Kolisi Field will take place during Derby Day at 2.30 pm next Saturday and will be followed by the rugby clash between the 1st teams of Grey High and great Eastern Cape rival Queens College at 3pm.
Grey High School Rector Chris Erasmus says the renaming had been mooted back in 2018 already and gained momentum after the World Cup - only to be delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Thankfully we can now play rugby again and do this thing properly," said Erasmus. "We didn't want to do the renaming in a void but in an environment in which we can be proud about it and Derby Day against Queens College is certainly a joyous moment in which to do it."
Erasmus told AlgoaFM News that they'd even consulted the Philip family who had been hugely supportive of the renaming of the Philip Field to the Kolisi Field.
"We've been playing rugby on that field for almost 90 years and Mr Philip was one of the main financial contributors to that field being built in the first place, even though he was not an Old Grey himself."
"He was a man of standing in the community who wanted to contribute to education in his City and it was absolutely fitting at the time that the field be named after him."
Erasmus said the man himself, Siya Kolisi, was also very proud and supportive of the name change.
"Its important for the school and for Siya, as the first black South African Springbok captain and winner of the World Cup, as well as for nation building, and he was very honoured that this is something the school wanted to do."
"There are not many schools in the country that can boast the naming of their main cricket field the Pollock Field, after the legendary Graeme Pollock, and now their main rugby field the Kolisi Field after Siya Kolisi," said Erasmus.
"We are so proud to be able to recognise Graeme as the foremost cricketer in the country on our field at the front of the school and now Siya as South Africa's foremost rugby player alumni on our main rugby field at the back of the school."
