Former Junior Springbok looseforward Sibusiso Sangweni’s rugby career has received a second lease of life after signing a permanent contract with the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers.
This, after being seen as surplus to requirements at his former team, the Emirates Lions, following his representation of the Johannesburg outfit in 29 United Rugby Championship and 23 Currie Cup Premier Division games.
And for Durban’s Inanda township-born flanker, it was somewhat of a bitter pill to swallow as Sangweni saw himself growing into a regular for the Lions for years to come.
I won’t lie, it was actually a very tough situation that I was in. When I made my debut at the Lions, you kinda want to play for that team forever. Unfortunately, sports do not work like that, you know. It is very competitive, you get cut and opinions change, coaches change, and the backing changes also. At the Lions, I was no longer getting backed and just parted ways after they decided not to renew my contract.
Mental Blow
It was very devastating, and I think it was mentally challenging to be very honest. You go from making your debut at a young age (20) and then to all of a sudden not being backed. You start question yourself as a player, you know.
You start to wonder what you're doing wrong and all of those things.
Sangweni then received a life line after being invited to join Western Province for the 2024 Currie Cup Premier Division campaign making four appearances for the Cape Town based side, before finding himself on the outskirts of professional rugby, for the second time early in his career.
And what made this second snub even more difficult was the fact that Sangweni found himself away from familiar home comforts after spending close to five years in Johannesburg at the Lions, where home comforts were just an hour’s flight away from KZN.
His big move down south was, however, not in vain as Cavaliers coach Hawies Fourie came knocking and asked if the ex-Baby Bok wanted to become part of Boland’s big project of qualifying for this year’s Currie Cup Premier Division.
Rebuild
For many young players who, in the early parts of their careers, are aiming to shoot the lights out at a professional level, a move to a union not playing in top competitions like the United Rugby Championship would feel like a step down.
Not for the 24-year-old Sangweni, who says of initially joining the Kavas to play on a match fees basis:
For me it was a step up, in the sense of my game. Since joining Boland, my game has grown, and coach Hawies has given me the platform to express myself once again, and find my feet.
Regularly touching base with family members after the big move south, Sangweni says, also helped him keep a level head after making Wellington his new home.
What has kept me going is my support structure, he explains, My two brothers, I have got a very good relationship with them, and they just kept me grounded. And I think my drive and love for rugby, I just wanted to find a way to get back again. I still feel and believe I can still give more to rugby, you know.
And I decided I just need to be very persistent in trying to get back again.
And after making his debut off the bench for the Kavas in a SA Cup clash against the Valke in March, Sangweni quickly found himself a regular in coach Fourie’s plans after making his run-on debut in Wellington in the 71-21 hammering dished out to South Western District Eagles.
The change of environment has been really good to me, he says. You must remember, coming form Inanda in KZN, it was the first time ever I had been to Wellington.
Culture Shift
It is a whole culture change, change of scenery, change of people, you know, you actually realise how healthy that can be for you, just to get a change of environment. And have that ability to start fresh again. Which is very difficult for players once you have been up there (URC) and taking four steps back and starting again.
But I welcomed the challenge and used it as a drive to keep me going, and prove to myself that I can get back to the top again, and I was not up there playing in the URC by luck. So, it has been a very interesting journey for me thus far, a lot of growth, and I am actually smiling as I am speaking right now, because so much has happened that I can truly say I appreciate as a rugby player.
Since joining the Boland, Sangweni says of unshackling himself as a player under Fourie:
I feel appreciated as a player, especially working under coach Hawies, it has been amazing for me. He is a very good coach, a good human being, you know, and he always wants you just to go out on the field and express yourself. He gives you that freedom, but it comes with responsibility also.
He allows us to express ourselves, and I think for me it has been honestly amazing and I just want to keep on pushing and see how far I can take it.
Loving Life in Wellington
But it is not just on the training pitch where Sangweni says he has found a new lease of life after making Wellington his new home and becoming part of a close-knit community. Something that reminds him a lot of his rural upbringing in Inanda.
One thing I enjoy is like the mountains and stuff, you know, the hiking trails, they have beautiful hiking trails here.
It is a very small but loving community, and everyone is just very passionate [about rugby] and everyone knows everyone here in Wellington, you know. Very different compared to Joburg, which is big or Cape Town. It has been really nice for me, and it’s been a very warm and welcoming environment, especially from the players.
I got the honour to play a SA Cup game with Cornal Hendricks before he passed away, and players like Garth April, Xavier Mitchell, Sidney Tobias and Ash (Ashlon Davids) and James Tedder just made it very, very welcoming.
They have made my settling in here very easy.
British and Irish Lions
Despite his time at the Lions coming to a sad end last year, Sangweni will always cherish making special memories at his former union, with one standout highlight getting to play against the British and Irish Lions in 2021.
Of that game and also making sure he exchanges jerseys with one of his childhood rugby heroes, Sangweni tells the Boland website:
I was but 20 years old when I got that special honour to play against them. Players like Courtney Lawes, Stuart Hogg, Owen Farrell and like you said, it was during Covid-19 lockdown times and something I did not expect.
As a youngster, you kinda get excited, but if it kinda like does not happen, you know you will be okay with it. But when I got the opportunity to get selected for it, was actually amazing because it gives you that perspective of the step up of what international rugby is all about. The wisdom and knowledge you get from playing in those games and facing those guys, it was amazing for me and something that sits in my heart. Not everyone in their career gets to play against the Lions, and I am very fortunate to have gotten that opportunity.
But which of these Northern hemisphere giants’ jerseys did he claim?
I got the honour to actually swap jerseys with Courtney Lawes. It was very special because to get something like that from a seasoned player and a person who has kind of done everything in rugby. He is actually one of the players who made me fall in love with the game of rugby.
