‘A nice change of scenery’: Sanele Nohamba settling in at the Lions

Exciting young scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba is looking to reignite his career at the Lions after making the move from the Sharks in Durban up to Johannesburg.

The 23-year-old Nohamba is a very bright prospect, having played for the Junior Boks and was a part of the extended Springbok squad ahead of the British and Irish Lions series last year.

However, over the past year he has fallen down the pecking order of the Sharks where Jaden Hendrikse and Grant Williams overtook him as their frontline scrumhalves, while Cameron Wright was preferred over him in the Currie Cup side, leaving him out in the cold.

Nohamba now has a great chance to revive his once promising career and prove the doubters wrong by establishing himself at the Lions.

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“It was tough for me at the Sharks. I hadn’t played regularly for about seven months and I think a change of scenery was needed,” Nohamba said in an interview with the Citizen.

“I need to be playing regularly and become an integral member of the team. So when the Lions made me an offer I jumped at the chance to come up here and establish myself. Now it’s all about rebuilding and making sure I enjoy my rugby again.”

Nohamba still has very lofty goals, with him still eager to become a Springbok, and he will now have a chance to prove that he has what it takes to reach the pinnacle of South African rugby.

“The goal for me hasn’t changed. The dream is still very much alive for me to play for the Springboks. Making the move here I am still chasing that dream,” explained Nohamba.

“Regardless of what has happened over the past year or so, the dream is still there and that’s what I’m working hard towards.

“Obviously giving my all for the Lions is where it’s all going to start. I can’t be chasing bigger dreams without helping the team succeed here in Joburg. So the first step is helping the team become as competitive as they can be in the competitions they currently play in.”

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Nohamba won’t be able to just slip straight into the Lions United Rugby Championship (URC) side and will have to battle it out for the starting jersey with the in-from Morne van den Berg and experienced Andre Warner.

“I have been working together with both Andre and Krappie (van den Berg) over the past two weeks. They are great guys and I have been sharing my experiences with them and they have been teaching me a thing or two,” said Nohamba.

“We are all working together very well, while also competing for the jersey. It is a very healthy competition and whoever gets the crack on the weekend, we continue to support them and help them be the best they can be.”

The Lions have just a few more games left in their season, across the Currie Cup and URC, before breaking until the new season gets under way in September or October, so Nohamba has limited opportunities to impress before the break.

“I just want to finish the season off strong. There are about three or four Currie Cup games and potentially one URC game that I can be involved in, so I am looking forward to that,” said Nohamba.

“Then we head into pre-season which will be massively important for us and I am looking forward to getting stuck in and working hard in the trenches with the boys and come October hopefully we can get our next URC campaign off to a great start.

“I am just so happy to get this opportunity to play up here. It has been refreshing with new team mates, new coaches, and a different team culture. It just makes my rugby grow and I am excited for the future. Hopefully I can make my mark and help the team grow.”