Lions scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba says he has no regrets over leaving the Sharks to join the Johannesburg franchise as they have given him a new lease on life.
Nohamba fell down the pecking order at the Sharks with the emergence of Springboks Jaden Hendrikse and Grant Williams. He was forced to asses his options and ended up joining Ivan van Rooyen's young Lions side in April. The move looked beneficial for both parties, a Lions team that was on a rebuild and Nohamba who was on a trail to revive his career.
The 23-year-old is happy with the decision he made of switching franchises. “I’m enjoying my time with the Lions," said Nohamba.
"I felt like I needed a change, a new start. Working with new coaches and adding to the knowledge I picked up from the Sharks, I’m learning from the coaches and the peers around me. I’m still trying to grow, I’m enjoying my time here," he said.
The Lions brought Nohamba to provide competition for the feisty Morne van den Berg. Nohamba's career at the Lions was a slow burner, struggling to settle into the team. However, in the 28-27 close win against Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship (URC) over the past weekend, there were flashes of excellence in his performance, he was given the Man-of-the-Match nod and the Welsh media waxed lyrical about him.
"I was very impressed with my performance, I haven’t played a lot of rugby over the last six months or so. I was glad to get some game time and enjoy the night with the boys. We trained so hard during the week, it’s good to reap the rewards," he said.
“Everyone in the squad puts their hands up for selection, the coaches back who they have to back and try new combinations and I think it worked well with me and Gianni Lombard on Saturday. We were very happy for the first time playing together, and we backed each other up and just trusted each other's cause and everything took off from there," he said.
The Lions continue their URC tour as they take on Cardiff Rugby on Friday at the Cardiff Arms Park (8.35pm) in Cardiff, Wales.
