Hacjivah Dayimani’s rumoured move to French rugby club Racing Metro will bring more mongrel to the physical side of the versatile Stormers loose-forward’s play.
So skeems former Lions and Blitzboks loose-forward Jonathan Mokuena when asked to comment on Dayimani’s possible Kaapse farewell.
Reports over the weekend suggested that Dayimani has signed for Racing 92 on a multi-year contract and will leave the Mother City at the end of the season after getting snubbed for Springbok selection by coach Rassie Erasmus.
Erasmus feels the Stormers star has to improve his work-rate and physicality off the ball before getting an invite.
And Mokuena agrees that Dayimani’s move might just lead to growth in the areas where there seems to be shortcomings in his game.
Mokuena tells the Daily Voice: “I think he is a little bit disappointed about the fact that he didn’t make the cut for the Springboks, but it’s also good for him, because as a player he can go and develop more.
“The kind of rugby they play in France is a little bit more physical and I have always believed Hacjivah is one of those players that is quite dangerous with ball in hand, but gets lost when it comes to the physical exchanges.”
In terms of the Stormers, Mokuena does feel the loss of the Dayimani, 26, will be a huge one, but that the Cape side has more than enough depth to replace him.
One player that could step up and make his stem dik is Nama Xaba.
But could Dayimani’s departure also open the door to a Stormers return for Springbok captain Siya Kolisi?
Kolisi is currently playing his rugby at Racing, but could lose his Springbok captaincy as Erasmus would like his national captain to be playing his rugby on home soil.
About a possible Kolisi return, Mokuena says: “Look I think a guy like Siya would always be on the lookout for opportunities of a return to South Africa. He is a through and through South African leader that has to be in Africa, getting his feet and his hands dirty.
“An opportunity for Siya maybe coming back, the challenge is will he come back to the Sharks or to the Stormers, because the agency that backs him in terms of business, is mostly set up in Durban.
“So it’s going to be interesting to see where he does come back to.”
Meanwhile, Stormers lock Ruben van Heerden signed a new deal with the franchise that will keep him in the Mother City until 2027 at least.
Reporting by Francois de Wet