Hacjivah Dayimani returned to Cape Town from a stint in France as a different player.
Often referred to as the “Dennis Rodman of rugby” because of his bleached hair and painted fingernails, the 29-year-old Dayimani is also known for his flashy style of play.
A loose forward who helps out on the wing when needed, his skill on the rugby field is second to none. But the Stormers player has been working hard behind the scenes to add more arrows to his quiver in this year’s United Rugby Championship (URC) competition.
“I’ve been working hard during pre-season in trying to adapt to a different kind of style of play. I want to get more involved,” Dayimani said, on Monday ahead of the Stormers’ clash against Edinburgh this weekend.
“I feel like my strength is ball in hand, and also on the defence I’ve been working a lot with Norman (Laker). There is a big emphasis on going big defence, big on attack and (upping my) work rate. I’ve been trying to work a lot on those and so far it’s been working decently.”
Dayimani left the Stormers in 2024 to further his career with Racing 92 in France. The French club, though, agreed to release him early from his contract in February this year, and he rejoined the Cape side on loan at first, before signing a new deal.
On the reasons for his return to the Stormers, Dayimani said: “There are a lot of reasons. I am here for one season; I signed for one more season until next year.
“I feel like when I came on loan (in February until the end of last season) I didn’t play much, I didn’t do much and I feel I have a lot to offer. Personally also, I lost my younger brother in December and also being close to home played a massive role.”
Dayimani, therefore, has a lot to play for personally, and while he is refining his own game, the loose forward is now also seen as a senior player in the Stormers ranks.
“Coming into the meetings and having guys like Riley (Norton), Ezekiel (Ngubeni), Vernon (Paulo) – guys who made their debuts last weekend, you are forced to lead them because they ask you all the questions,” said Dayimani of stepping up as a senior player in the squad.
“They rely on you – especially when things are going wrong. In training especially, they’ll ask you a question that may be in a different position (than yours) and you kind of need to know the plays and the defence systems.
“It forces you to step up and lead from the front because you know they are looking at you. The last thing you want to do is not to let them down and drop the standards, so you always have to be at a high standard because of those guys.”
Dayimani will be looking to go big on defence, go big on attack and to keep a high standard again when the Stormers, who beat Connacht 29-15 in their first match of the season, tackle Edinburgh on Friday (kick-off 8.45pm).