Dayimani thrilled to have friend Simelane at the Stormers ahead of Sale match

Star Stormers loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani is thrilled to have his good friend Wandisile Simelane at the union and believes he can follow in his footsteps and make a success of himself down in Cape Town.

Dayimani and Simelane both attended Jeppe High School in Johannesburg and started their rugby careers at the Lions together, but neither was able to kick on to new heights, necessitating moves away.

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Dayimani moved to the Stormers, where he has found considerable success and taken his game to the next level, while Simelane made the move to the Bulls but struggled even more there and with him now arriving at the Stormers Dayimani believes he will be able to move on to the next level.

“I went to school with Simelane from grade eight. We went to hostel together and we played for the Lions together so we know each other really well and I am very excited about what could come out of his move to the Stormers,” said Dayimani.

“The way we play (at the Stormers) is definitely a type of style that suits him and I think he is going to excel playing here. It was just his first day with us (on Monday) but he is already loving the culture and the vibe at the Stormers and of course he’s with his best friend.

“Wandi will definitely improve here and I told him he has made the best decision ever, only maybe a few years later than he wanted to. He has got so much X-factor and so much talent and if he works hard and fulfils that talent I am convinced he could be one of the best players this country has ever seen. Particularly if he works on the aspects of his game that I know he will.”

Champions Cup

The Stormers are preparing for an important Champions Cup match against Sale Sharks at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday and are hoping to ride the wave of form they have built up over a busy December period, after a difficult start to the season.

Heading into December the Stormers were in poor form having won just two out of six games in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and had just returned from a difficult European tour where they had lost four straight games.

But since then they have won four of their next five games in the URC and Champions Cup, beating Zebre 31-7, before a second string side went down 35-26 to Leicester Tigers in England, followed by a 21-20 win over La Rochelle, a 26-20 win over the Bulls and 16-15 win over the Sharks.

“It is mission critical for us now. Every game counts. Every point counts and we just want to put our heads down and do the work. This is the really important part of the season. It is now make or break. It’s not how you start but how you finish,” explained Dayimani.