CAPE TOWN - Hacjivah Dayimani is a special kind of loose forward. In fact, boxing his abilities into the loosie category only is probably an insult. He’s a special player.
The young Lions man, who turns 23 today, shone in the junior ranks and he’s put in some stunning displays for the Johannesburg franchise at flank and No 8.
He’s no doubt one of the most exciting prospects in the Lions’ den. If you catch the eye of the Blitzboks coaches, it has to say something
Towards the end of last year, Dayimani, who was included in the Springbok Sevens side’s plans for the Cape Town leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series but missed out due to injury, made his first run-out for the SA Sevens Academy as the team won the Dubai International Invitational tournament. That was impressive.
But it’s in the XVs game that the excitement package has made serious waves.
Dayimani is one of the fastest Super Rugby players around, running the 100m in under 11 seconds, and he’s no small frame either, standing at 1.88m and 100kg.
But apart from his physical numbers, it’s what Dayimani can do with those hands and feet that makes him such a thrill to watch.
He has the level of skill that would allow him to slot into the backline seamlessly, and he’d do it so well that you wouldn’t for a second think him out of place.
With domestic competition set to kick off next month, Dayimani will play a key role for the Lions, where he’s proven his worth as a quality addition to their pack in a roving, looking-for-the-next-gap and opportunity role.
But he also knows how to do the more ‘structured’ stuff ...
He knows how to poach at the line-outs and he’s more than comfortable snatching turnovers, and when it comes to making those hits, he can surely ace that as well.
Dayimani’s good hands and overall skills and abilities makes it highly unlikely that he won’t make it big in South African rugby, to make it to the highest level.
And after more than six months of rugby drought, what better time to start that climb?
@WynonaLouw