THE Stormers will have to contend with one of their ex-players Hacjivah Dayimani this coming season after being drawn with Racing 92 in the European Champions Cup.
Although no fixtures are out yet, he is destined to clash with his former side, with whom he achieved great heights, either in the Cape Town Stadium or Paris, and if it ends up beeing in the Mother City, he will definitely receive a warm, but tough welcome back just like Steven Kitshoff did when he played in Cape Town for Ulster last season.
Racing announced the acquisition of the versatile loose forward on Tuesday after the Cape side released him a year early from his contract that was set to expire in 2025.
He will join another former Stormers loose forward, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, at the French club after signing for two years.
Dayimani, 26, quickly became a cult hero at the Stormers in the inaugural season of the United Rugby Championship (URC) after he moved from the Lions. He started playing the exciting rugby he was known for under head coach John Dobson and was one of the standout players when the Stormers won the URC in its first year. His versatility – he can play any position in the back row – is one of the traits that made him a mainstay of the Cape side over the past two years.
He’s also quick and agile, which suited the game plan of the Stormers and his loss will be felt in the coming season.
But after being snubbed by the Springboks, despite two excellent seasons and being one of the best loosies at franchise level, the Cape side didn’t want to stand in the way of him exploring opportunities overseas.
They have been relying more and more on Evan Roos as the No 8 and recently had to change the role of the Springbok to the side of the scrum to accommodate Dayimani in the starting team.
The 23-year-old Keke Morabe is the other promising No 8 at the Stormers and had some strong performances before a serious injury curtailed his season.
The Stormers’ other Champions Cup group opponents include another French club, Toulon, English Premiership teams Harlequins and Sale Sharks, and URC champions Glasgow Warriors.