‘I Might Even Play Wing’: Dayimani On Senior Role, Pre-Season Transformation, And Kolisi’s Return
Hacjivah Dayimani believes his recent performances for the DHL Stormers have demonstrated the benefits of a strong pre-season, with the versatile loose forward embracing an increased leadership role within a youthful pack.
Dayimani has made a strong start to the season, featuring at No 7 against the All Blacks before moving to No 8 in the Stormers’ victory over Connacht last week.
The 29-year-old said he worked hard during the pre-season to adapt his game and become more influential in both attack and defence.
“For me personally, these past two games have been good,” Dayimani said.
“I’ve been working hard this pre-season to adapt to a different style of play, to be more involved because my strength is ball in hand.”
Dayimani returned to the Stormers during the off-season following a stint in France.
“Defensively, we’ve been working a lot with Norman Laker, so there’s a big emphasis on big defence, big attack and work rate. These past two games, I’ve been trying to work a lot on those aspects, and so far, it’s looking decent,” he added.
Dayimani has also found himself taking on greater responsibility within the loose trio, particularly with youngsters Riley Norton and Louw Nel being given opportunities at URC level.
With the pair still gaining experience, Dayimani acknowledged that he has had to step up as a senior figure within the group.
“Coming into the meetings, having guys like Riley and Louw, guys who are making their debuts, you’re forced to lead them because they ask you all the questions and they rely on you, especially when things are going wrong,” he said.
“You see it often in training where they’ll ask you a question about a detail that may be in a different position, and you need to know the plays; you need to know the defence systems.
“It forces you to step up and lead from the front because you know they’re looking at you. The last thing you want to do is let them down, so you always have to maintain high standards because of those guys.”
The return of Siya Kolisi has further increased the competition and depth within the Stormers’ loose-forward ranks, with Evan Roos also capable of playing across the back row.
However, Dayimani is not concerned about where he fits into the pecking order. Instead, he embraces the versatility that allows him to cover several positions.
“At this moment, we have good depth, and we have a big team,” he said.
“I know my role coming back to the Stormers. It’s more playing where the coach needs me and where the system needs me.
“I’m going to cover wing some of the games; I’m going to cover flank. It comes down to the combinations for the weekend and where the coach puts us.
“Even this weekend, I might be at wing, I might not be, so it’s interesting to see.”
The Stormers now turn their attention to Edinburgh, who also enjoyed a strong result after shocking Ulster away from home last weekend.
Dayimani said the Stormers have identified Edinburgh’s set-piece as an area they will look to target, particularly at scrum time and in the lineout.
“They have a big hit in the scrums, and it’s something that we obviously want to take away,” he said.
“We also want to get them out of flow with their lineouts. If we can just target them there, I think it’ll be big. It will disrupt them.”
