New Bulls loosie breaks down his game
07/16/2024 08:02 AM
Nama Xaba said a move to the Vodacom Bulls has afforded him a fresh opportunity to work on his health and wellbeing while redefining his role as a openside flanker.
Xaba joined the Bulls from the DHL Stormers in July, and made his debut for The Herd in a convincing win over the Griffons in round 2 of the Currie Cup last week.
The 26-year-old loose forward spent much of his junior and senior professional career in Cape Town, and won the inaugural Vodacom URC with the Stormers, but injuries limited him to just 25 appearances for the franchise.
Speaking in a Bulls conference in the buildup to Friday's Currie Cup clash against the table-topping Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld, Xaba acknowledged his fitness issues while sharing a new approach to the sport.
"I spent about eight-and-a-half years in the Stormers and Western Province setup and looking back, obviously it was awesome. I grew a lot as a player and I got my big break on that side," he told reporters.
"But looking at my injuries I was out more than I was available for selection and there was a lot of frustration from the coaches' side, which I don't blame.
"I'm looking forward to what this new challenge brings. A key takeaway Jake said on our first meeting was availability is the biggest thing, so I'm working really hard on staying on the pitch… and that's not about doing extra gym sessions but understanding what my body needs to always be available for selection.
ALSO: Siya a flop in maiden French sojourn
"I've had to do a complete pathology with the medical staff on this side, and with outside specialists, as to what it is that I'm doing to my determinant.
"It's looking at things through a different lens; I'm a bit older now and don't have a 21-year-old's body that I can just smash [and need] to be smarter about which breakdowns I target."
"The injuries I've had are freakish injuries which could've happened to anyone. Maybe through that it's put me here, and I am where I'm supposed to be," Xaba added.
"There's no point looking back on what could've been and 'm just taking it day by day … I'm turning 27 in a few weeks and hopefully I can play to 38 like some players."
In a rugby environment populated with back-row giants, the stout Xaba finds himself in rarefied company as an out-and-out classic opensider, yet has improved his ball-carrying, and thrown himself into developing as a credible jumper in the lineout.
Multi-skilled with abilities over the ball and to serve as a link man in open play, there is a lot to like about the Durban-born ballhawk, a natural leader who is driven to succeed in the game.
"You've got to move with the times. I think the classic opensider role, a guy like [Springbok and WP legend] Rob Louw, was also a linkman between the forwards and the backs," Xaba explained.
"Doing that pathology on myself and my game, that's probably something I could be better at, getting my hands on the ball.
"Typically what you see is an opensider slowing the ball down but that's 30 percent of your job and the other 70 percent is getting fast ball.
"Holistically I think it's what an opensider is supposed to do but most people are fixated on the fetching role … but it's the work that you do off the ball – the linkage play – that I could be better at."
The post New Bulls loosie breaks down his game appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
