Thanks for the memories, Dillyn
‘Stormers stalwart’ takes his game-breaking wizardry to France
WYNONA LOUW
DILLYN Leyds once said that when people hear his name, they don’t think ‘Springbok’. Instead, he reckons, they think ‘Stormers stalwart’… or something along those lines.
That’s certainly true, even though he is a Bok.
The 27-year-old has bagged 10 Test caps, and his perception on the team that springs to mind when people hear his name – Stormers or Western Province as opposed to Boks – says way more about what he has done, the role he’s played, in the blue and white than it does about his Test-level abilities. And it should.
The fact that he racked up around 70 appearances for the Stormers makes him quite an experienced campaigner, but it’s what he’s contributed while in the Cape that will make his departure to La Rochelle a tough one for The Faithful.
Where the national picture is concerned, Leyds is one of those players I’d liked to have seen get more chances at the highest level. He’s been a consistent performer for WP and the Stormers – even when the latter experienced some bleak Super Rugby times – and it’s a pity that he’s leaving for French pastures without having had the chance to get fans thinking ‘Bok’ instead of just ‘Province or Stormers’ whenever his name gets dropped.
Perhaps an even bigger pity is the fact that the full-back has, in all likelihood, already played his last game for the Stormers as it’s unlikely that rugby will resume any time soon. While confirming his exit, Stormers chief John Dobson pointed out that he’d have loved for Leyds to get a decent send-off: “The fact that they (Leyds and Wilco Louw) could have already played their last game for the Stormers is very sad. I wouldn’t mind if they did stay a bit longer so we could play a game and say goodbye to them, but that is emotional and less important at this stage.”
It would have been the least he deserved, but that’s not going to happen, even though there can be no doubt that the talismanic full-back would have jumped at the chance to put on a show like few other South African full-backs can in front of his Newlands crowd one last time. The fact that he didn’t get the chance to bid the iconic stadium a proper farewell either only adds to everything.
But if there is one player who can confidently rewind through his eight years in Cape Town and be more than happy with what he’s put on his canvas, it’s Leyds. And I doubt any rugby person would contest that.
For years he’s been an attacking catalyst for the Stormers and WP, with his scintillating runs and pure wizardry from the back only a few of the attributes that the franchise will miss dearly.
It’s the way he created something out of nothing, the way he can go on the counter and almost-too-easily snipe through defenders like he alone got a pass to those rehearsals, the way he can do damage in broken play, all of that will make him one tough figure to replace, all of that makes knowing that he didn’t get to run rampant at Newlands one last time better. It makes it better because we all know he’s done it so many times before.
If you had to ask some fans about their favourite Leyds moment, you can be almost guaranteed that the offload against the Chiefs would be top of the list, no wonder. It was an insane display of skill made even better by the fact that it worked out perfectly and set up a memorable try against the Chiefs.
Ridiculously good that pass certainly was, and while it will probably be his most recognisable piece of individual brilliance, it was far from his only one.
From his try-celebrations of old to the way he was ever willing to fill in wherever he was needed – from full-back to the wing to flyhalf – Leyds has, over the last eight years, made an impact that will be hard to replace, even in a province as spoiled with talent as the Western Cape.
It certainly would have been great to see him get the farewell he deserves after all the thrill and excitement he has provided the South African rugby public with, it would have been great if he could do it in front of a home crowd just one more time, not only for his fans, but as a parting gift to himself as well.
But given all the superb visuals he’s treated us to over the years, that farewell would have been nice, not needed. After all, we’ve had many chances to see it first hand countless times thanks to Dillyn Leyds.