Dyantyi’s dynamic destiny Lowly SA men have mountain to climb
From UJ to stardom, flying Lions winger was always going to be ‘something special’
IT LITERALLY took one “step-chipand-gather” by Aphiwe Dyantyi to make his mark on Lions head coach Swys de Bruin.
And that was it… the Lions boss had been convinced the then 22-year-old could be something special.
“We were playing a training game against UJ ahead of the 2017 Currie Cup season and there was a moment when Aphiwe collected the ball, stepped past a defender, chipped the ball into space, gathered it and ran off… and I knew this guy could go a long way,” said De Bruin yesterday about the Springbok wing who on Sunday was named World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year.
It has been a quite stunning year for the now 24-year-old.
After starring in Super Rugby for the Lions, where he scored seven tries and helped the team reach a third straight final, Springbok boss Rassie Erasmus took something of a chance and picked him for the three Tests against England and he subsequently went on to play in every Test after that this season. He scored six tries in his 13 Tests and became one of the world’s most recognisable players, his trademark “chest-ripping” try celebration now famous across the rugby globe.
It has all happened very quickly for the man once considered too small for the game.
After playing at flyhalf for Border at the Under-13 Craven Week in Krugersdorp in 2007, Dyantyi couldn’t make his high school (Dale College) first team as he was considered not big enough and he would later give up the game, opting to focus on his studies having enrolled at the University of Johannesburg.
He played some social football and then got into a bit of “koshuis” (hostel) rugby and Sevens after being persuaded by friends to play again – and the rest is history.
He starred for UJ’s Young Guns in the Varsity Cup in 2014 and then made the senior team the following year, and again in 2016 and 2017. And the Lions were watching.
“He played for us in the Currie Cup last year and I knew there was something special about him,” said De Bruin after picking him for the domestic competition.
“Then this year he got his chance in Super Rugby when Courtnall Skosan got injured. We backed him because we knew what his history was, where he’d come from, what he had to overcome to be at this point.
“He was a real team man and his character stood out for me; his principles were in the right place.
“But he still had to make it count. And didn’t he just? He grabbed his chance and he hasn’t looked back. I am so happy for him, so proud, and he is so deserving of this award.”
If Dyantyi announced himself at home with three tries in his first two Super Rugby games, he presented himself to the world with a wonderful try on Test debut against England at his home ground in Joburg and scored again – twice, in fact – against Argentina in Durban.
Then came the now famous “double” against the All Blacks in Wellington as the Boks triumphed 36-34. If world rugby didn’t know already, that match ensured Dyantyi was a world star in the making.
“I’m not surprised by his rise,” said De Bruin. “He’s got everything you want in a rugby player and I’m sure he’s going to have a very long and successful career.” THE PROTEAS team will be looking to crack the top 10 at the men’s Hockey World Cup in India starting today – but they have quite the hill to climb starting with their first assignment.
The team will kick off their campaign today (3.30pm SA time start) against hosts India, who are the fifth-ranked team in the world and will be a tough first assignment.
At the previous edition of the tournament in the Netherlands, the Proteas men finished in 11th place, having suffered four defeats and conceding 21 goals, while they managed a goalless draw with South Korea.
They beat Malaysia 6-2 in the 11th place play-off to avoid the wooden spoon.
South Africa will feature at the World Cup for the sixth time and they will be looking to improve on their previous best 10th place finishes from 2010 and 1994.
National coach Mark Hopkins was optimistic about the chances of his charges causing an upset or two at the global showpiece ahead of the team’s departure.
“I am incredibly optimistic, I believe this group of athletes have the potential to come back from the World Cup as history makers,” he said.
“I am really challenging these athletes to land back in South Africa as the best hockey team the country has ever sent to the World Cup,” he added.
The team can expect an even steeper mountain in their second match on Sunday when they go up against the world’s third ranked team Belgium.
Their third pool match against Canada, ranked four places ahead of them, could give them a bit of a reprieve.
The South Africans are coming off a 3-0 series defeat to the French which was played in Johannesburg earlier this month.
They opened the series with a 2-2 draw before losing their remaining three matches 4-1, 3-1 and 2-1.
While the results may not have gone their way against the French, the preparations ahead of the World Cup have been better than they were going into the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.
This has given both Hopkins and his charges a reason for optimism, even though the team is one of the lowest ranked sides in the tournament.
“The entire squad has focused on building our brand and culture off the pitch and our style on the pitch,” Hopkins said ahead of the tournament.
“I am extremely excited by the squad that is going to represent South Africa at the FIH Hockey World Cup, and humbled by the work behind the scenes to ensure that we are as well prepared as possible.
“We have selected a squad that is able to play a style of hockey that will get the most out of our talents and also compete against some of the best in the world.”
World number one ranked Australia are considered the overwhelming favourites to lift their third consecutive title after claiming the 2014 and 2010 titles in Holland and New Delhi respectively.