Cape Town – “I’m working hard, and I’ll be back soon to make up for lost time in a crazy way.” That was the strong message from Bulls wing Sbu Nkosi this week in his first public statement in weeks as he plans his comeback to rugby.
The Springbok flyer went missing for three weeks late last year before being found by Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone at his stepfather’s house in eMalahleni (formerly Witbank) on December 6, having last been seen at work at Loftus Versfeld on November 11.
After the Bulls reported Nkosi missing with the police, they were assisted by one of their commercial partners, SSG Security, to locate the Bok speedster in Mpumalanga.
Rathbone said at a press conference at the time that there was no timeline for Nkosi to return to the game, as the union wanted to “give him his space to get back to full health”.
“We are arranging support for the time that he is ready to get that support. As I said to him as well: our goal is to get him back on a rugby field and feeling like a champion again,” the Bulls boss said.
“And even if that means it’s not at the Bulls, and he needs to have a new start, then that’s fine. But it’s our job to get him ready.
“Like with any relationship with you or your family, there is always a responsibility from both parties to basically either pick it up, or someone to say ‘Listen, I’m struggling with something’.”
Nkosi – who will celebrate his 27th birthday on Saturday, a day after the Bulls face Lyon in the Champions Cup in France – posted a heartfelt message on Instagram on Wednesday about how things have been going, and said that he was getting himself ready to run onto the pitch again.
“I put seeds in the ground to reconnect with Mother Nature and her process. They gave me fruit. I put time into my daughter to get closer to her. And her smile is my reward. I reached into the future. And connected the path,” the 16-Test Bok wrote.
“I’m only concerned about proving my supporters right, positivity, about generational wealth, physical and mental health, alongside the social welfare of my people as a whole.
“Anything outside those parameters is unappreciated. I’d like to thank everyone that extended a hand and a prayer. I’d like to thank my team @blue_bulls_official for their support in every way and a Special thanks to Edgar.
“Thank you to my people. I’m working hard, and I’ll be back soon to make up for lost time in a crazy way… much love.”
@ashfakmohamed