“I Never Knew This Moment Would Come”: Zas On Reaching 100 Caps For The Stormers
Leolin Zas will reach a significant milestone on Friday against Connacht when he makes his 100th appearance for the Stormers, completing a remarkable journey from making his teenage debut at Newlands to becoming one of the club’s most experienced players.
Zas burst onto the scene in 2016 as a 19-year-old, scoring a try against the Bulls at Newlands in his first appearance for the Stormers. Almost a decade later, he is preparing to reach his century in a career that has included difficult periods, injuries and some of the highest points of his playing life.
The winger admitted that the significance of the occasion is only now beginning to sink in.
“I think it’s starting to kick in,” Zas said.
“As you said, I’ve been with the Stormers a long time. This is basically the only place that I know. I spent two years with the Sharks, but I’ve been with this team for years.
“I have good relationships with the people around me, and I can’t wait for Friday.”
While Zas would have preferred to reach the milestone at home in Cape Town, he is embracing the opportunity to celebrate his 100th appearance on tour.
“Obviously, it would’ve been ideal to have it at home, but considering what I’ve been through, I’ll take it with both hands, and it’s up to me to make it special on Friday,” he said.
Zas’ career has not been without adversity. Serious injury problems at one stage threatened to derail his playing career, making the prospect of reaching 100 appearances for the Stormers particularly meaningful.
“I thought about it last night, and I never knew that this moment would actually come,” he admitted.
“When you go through injuries, every minute on the field is a blessing, so I won’t take that for granted.
“Credit must go to the coaches and everybody around me who believes in me and who put me on that field.”
His career has also enjoyed a significant resurgence during the United Rugby Championship era. Zas was the competition’s leading try-scorer during the Stormers’ historic first URC title campaign, giving him a second opportunity to fulfil his potential after the setbacks earlier in his career.
“I’m blessed to have another chance, and hopefully I can take it further and spend another four or five years here,” Zas said.
The Stormers will begin their latest URC campaign with a two-week tour, something Zas admits is not the preferred way to start a season but believes could benefit the squad.
“Personally, you want to start at home. I think every player wants to play the first few games at home,” he said.
“But even to start on a two-week tour is always nice because all the guys are together. A tour like this is always nice to get those small little details, and that’s the type of things we’re going to need for the first few games.”
Despite the Stormers’ consistent presence near the business end of the URC in recent seasons, Zas insists the squad is not looking too far ahead as they attempt to go one step further this campaign.
“Every team wants to be better every season, but what I like about us as a team is that we don’t look too far ahead,” he said.
“We take one game at a time, so at the moment our focus is on Connacht on Friday.”
For Zas, however, Friday will be about more than simply the opening game of another long URC campaign.
It will mark the culmination of a journey that he once feared might never reach this point.
“It will be quite emotional later in the week, but I just have to go out there and give it my best, and hopefully the team can make it special on Friday with a big win,” he said.
