Stormers Boosted by Dayimani’s Return
Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson has confirmed the return of loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani, handing the Cape franchise a timely boost as they regroup during a difficult campaign.
The Six Nations break has offered brief respite on the field, but behind the scenes the Stormers have been busy addressing form, injuries and discipline issues that have stalled early-season momentum.
Dobson believes the Stormers’ overall position remains encouraging, despite recent setbacks.
“If you said at the start of the season we’d be where we are now, I’d be happy,” he said.
The campaign began with an impressive unbeaten run built on structure, set-piece control and discipline. That stability unravelled following a heavy loss to Harlequins and successive defeats to the Sharks, where familiar problems resurfaced.
“Our set-piece dominance disappeared and we weren’t prepared with solutions,” Dobson admitted. “The same issues repeated themselves.”
Discipline proved particularly costly. Once the most disciplined side in the United Rugby Championship, the Stormers conceded 19 penalties in Durban alone.
An extensive injury list has compounded the problem. Senior figures across the backs and forwards have been sidelined, forcing constant reshuffling.
“We were cleaned out in the backs early on, and then it spread through the pack,” Dobson said. “It’s not an excuse, but we weren’t ready to adapt without those leaders.”
Against that backdrop, Dayimani’s return from Racing 92 is a significant coup.
“We were incredibly lucky,” Dobson revealed. “You don’t normally get players of his quality out of contract.”
His arrival adds much-needed depth and athleticism to the loose forwards, easing the workload on Evan Roos, Ben-Jason Dixon and Paul de Villiers, while strengthening the squad ahead of the run-in.
Dobson also stood by his decision to hand the captaincy to 22-year-old Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, despite debate over the pressure placed on the young playmaker.
“He’ll be a brilliant captain,” Dobson said, acknowledging the responsibility may have come early. “His rugby brain is exceptional.”
With injured players set to return and reinforcements arriving, the Stormers see this period as a reset. If discipline improves and leadership stability returns, Dobson believes the Cape side can still finish the season strongly.
The message is clear: the Stormers are reloading, not retreating.
Credit SportsBoom link: https://www.sportsboom.co.za/rugby/exclusive-dobson-confirms-return-of-stormers-superstar-as-injuryhit-cape-side-regroups
