SHANYE BOLTON SPEAKS Afrikaans to his family and friends back in South Africa, but when they hear snippets of interviews in English from this neck of the woods, there can be a bit of slagging – mainly from his brothers.
The 24-year-old Connacht wing has certainly made himself at home in Ireland judging by the Galway tinge to his accent.
His performances on the pitch have also made it clear that Bolton feels at home out west. Though he has had plenty of injury issues since arriving in 2021, his performances on the wing last season catapulted him into the thinking of Ireland’s coaches.
That was illustrated by his selection for the recent Emerging Ireland tour and though he missed out on the trip to South Africa due to a badly-timed cut on his knee, Bolton looks like the kind of aggressive, powerful, pacy, clever player that Andy Farrell likes.
Going on the Emerging Ireland trip to Bloemfontein would have brought Bolton close to his home city of Pretoria, where he has happy memories of growing up and playing rugby.
Bolton’s three older brothers liked rugby more for the social aspect, but Shayne had clear talent and ambition. Several big rugby schools around the country wanted him to join them but Bolton stayed local.
“I got a few scholarships and bursaries from bigger schools but I’m the youngest child so my parents didn’t want to send me to boarding school,” said Bolton this week as Connacht prepare to face Leinster on Saturday evening at Dexcom Stadium.
“So I went to the school around the corner and I think it was the best decision my parents ever made.”
Hoërskool Eldoraigne had produced professional rugby players before Bolton, including Springboks-capped lock Stephan Lewies, and playing for a smaller school didn’t prevent him from getting identified.
Bolton was part of the Blue Bulls U16 and U18 sides, then the Cheetahs gave him an academy contract after school as he also began studying and playing for the University of the Free State, whose team is known as the ‘Shimlas.’
Two years later, there was no contract extension offer from the Cheetahs and no one else in South Africa got in touch. The door to professional rugby might have been shut but for Bolton’s Irish connection.
His granny, Noirín Stapleton, hails from Blackrock, Dublin. After her parents died in a car crash when she was young, she spent some time in England before being sent to Rhodesia, which is now Zimbabwe, and ending up in South Africa.
“I’m very close to my gran, she lives close by to my parents in South Africa and I saw her every Sunday or every second Sunday,” said Bolton.
“She comes from Ireland and I was always aware that my family comes from here.”
So after the feelers were put out, word came back from Connacht that there was interest.
Then-Connacht boss Andy Friend got in touch and Bolton had an easy decision.
“I knew I wanted to go somewhere and pursue my dreams,” he said. “I was really excited when Andy got in touch. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity with both hands and give it my best shot.”
Matching the excitement was the anxiety about moving across the world when he was only turning 21.
This was in the summer of 2021 when the Covid-19 pandemic was still a huge part of life.
“I was so nervous,” said Bolton. “It was my first time travelling alone too. It was in Covid time, the plane was empty. I had my own row, it was all open. It was crazy, masks on and I couldn’t really speak to anybody.
“The airports were so quiet, I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I was so nervous travelling on my own and then I had to quarantine for 14 days in a hotel in Dublin because I was coming from a red-listed country.
“I was in the hotel for two weeks on my own. At least I had a bit of gym equipment that Connacht sent up. That was really tough at the start, I was just on FaceTime all the time talking to family and friends back home. But I made it through that and was excited to get stuck in and start training and learning.”
It took him a few months to settle in Galway. Finding ideal accommodation was tricky and he missed home.
But his new team-mates were excellent at making him feel at ease. Any day off, he’d be invited to go for a coffee.
On the pitch, he faced a steep learning curve.
“I came in from college rugby, so I had a lot to learn about professional rugby, a professional set-up and it took longer than I expected when I came over,” said Bolton.
“I’ve had so much help from the players, my friends, the coaches and everyone around. They’ve helped me grow. When I came over I was mostly a centre but I moved to wing then and so I had to learn, not a new position, but one I hadn’t played much in.”
He only made four appearances in his first two seasons with Connacht, injuries holding him back every time he appeared to be gaining momentum.
Then things exploded last season as Bolton finally got a run of fitness and form, impressing as he started three Champions Cup games. Injury ended his campaign in April but he is a man on the rise.
Bolton’s tussle with Saracens out-half Owen Farrell caught the eye last season but it was more so about his strong defensive involvements, power in contact, pace on the edge, and desire to get as many touches of the ball as possible.
While Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins believes there’s more growth to come with things like Bolton’s kicking game and his ability to read and find space, he is excited by his “incredible explosiveness” and the confidence he brings with ball in hand.
It was no surprise to see Bolton included in the Emerging Ireland squad and though a knee laceration meant he couldn’t travel, he has made a swift return to action for Connacht.
“I was really disappointed [to miss the Emerging Ireland tour], I was very excited to go on the tour and it’s just to learn from all the coaches and all the players, but one thing that kept me positive is that I wasn’t out for too long,” said Bolton, whose latest Connacht contract runs until 2026.
“I’ve been out for quite a few months with some injuries and I was thankful that this one wasn’t serious at all. I was really positive just to look forward to the next couple of games.”
His Connacht team-mate JJ Hanrahan told Bolton that the key thing is that the Irish coaches are interested in him, even if he missed the trip to South Africa.
Hanrahan is on the money. If Bolton can get more injury luck, he looks like a man with the potential to play Test rugby.
Wonderful story – like a Wilbur Smith novel. Best of luck to him and to Connacht for thinking outside the box.