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For all the talk of Aphiwe Dyantyi getting a second chance, the new Sharks backline player could prove a dynamite signing, if he can regain the bulk of his electrifying ability that made us watch in awe and become enamoured with his enormous talent, writes Sibusiso Mjikeliso.
The word all last week, when Aphiwe Dyantyi was handed his second lease in life, was about how the Sharks had given him a priceless second chance at rugby.
It was a heart-warming touch, a happy ending to a tragic, sad tale. But make no mistake, this is not a charity handout - the Sharks made a shrewd rugby-first acquisition.
Dyantyi was a young rugby player who had the world at his feet but threw it all away chasing a quick recovery from an injury on the eve of the Rugby World Cup in 2019.
READ | Why Sharks signed Springbok Aphiwe Dyantyi after four-year ban: 'We believe in second chances'
The very nature of the doping charge he was found guilty of and handed a four-year ban for showed desperation: three S1 category steroidal substances found in his system, including a new "super drug" at the time, LGD-4033, also known as Ligandrol.
Having served his time and hopefully learnt from the experience, Dyantyi found welcoming arms waiting for him at the Sharks, who long coveted the Springbok star during the time when it seemed the world shunned him.
And yes, doping is deplorable and there are no excuses for what Aphiwe did. But the ban wasn't for life. He didn't fix matches and he didn't murder anyone. So, he deserves a second chance like we all do sometimes after we've made mistakes.
Like SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus said: "He's served his ban and it must have been tough on him … I know there are a lot of people who don't feel the same way, but that's why there was a time period with the ban."
Last week, the Sharks confirmed him as their player, the length of contract was however undisclosed.
Regardless of the four-year layoff, if the Sharks get 70 to 80% the player Dyantyi was in 2018, they are getting a dynamite of a rugby player still.
He started his career like a rocket. He must look back at 2018, the year he played 13 Springbok Tests (tied with mainstays Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Handre Pollard) and scored six tries and think, "Did I really do that"?
At the time, he was quick but not Kurt-Lee Arendse quick. He had a devastating step and never shirked his defensive responsibilities either.
He played with a childlike freedom, even daring to sidestep Beauden Barrett over the try line in Wellington during the Springboks' whimsical first win against the All Blacks in New Zealand for nearly a decade.
That game remains Dyantyi's magnum opus. Scoring two tries in the 36-34 win was not enough but he also affected the tackle that caused the knock-on and put an end to the game with the All Blacks five metres from the Springbok try line.
The year ended with a deserved World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award and a future so bright it seemed he caught lightning in a bottle.
In 2019, Dyantyi had transitioned to playing more at No 13 for the Lions in Super Rugby, where he excelled as well but was curtailed by niggling injuries.
The last one, to his hip, was the cause of the most strife, which put his World Cup in doubt and put him out of the Rugby Championship.
The role of No 13 might not have been readily available to him at national level, not with Lukhanyo Am having his own breakthrough moment there.
But come the Sharks season after this year's World Cup in France, it's conceivable Dyantyi could force Am to move back to No 12, where he played much of his rugby at Border and the Southern Kings.Dyantyi also had polished handiwork, almost as good as his footwork, so the Sharks' backline distribution (nor their defence for that matter) would not be compromised with the shift.
Wingers Makazole Mapimpi and Werner Kok will continue to feast in perpetuity, while the duo of Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Francois Venter would provide adequate rotation and different playing styles.
John Plumtree must be salivating at the prospect of coaching the Sharks again.
All Dyantyi needs to do now is regain his rugby match fitness and all the four years of absentia will melt away.
Follow Sibusiso Mjikeliso on Twitter: @Sbu_Mjikeliso
- Sibusiso Mjikeliso is the 2021 Vodacom Sports Journalist of the Year and author of Being a Black Springbok - The Thando Manana Story. He is also the writer and narrator of MAP1MP1, the award-winning Makazole Mapimpi documentary. This column has been nominated for the 2023 best column/editorial at the Standard Bank Sivukile Journalism Awards.
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