After experiencing a dark period that not only saw him close off a chapter in his international rugby career with the Springboks but also caused him to miss out on the Rugby World Cup, winger Aphiwe Dyantyi has finally opened up about his controversial exit from the game.
The year 2019 came with so much promise and expectations; the former powerhouse of World Rugby, the Springboks, had finally revived their identity under their then-new coach Rassie Erasmus, a man who rescued the team at a time when they hit an all-time low.
Not only did he come to change the culture of the team environment, but he also blooded a group of new promising players that would ultimately go and set the global stage alight. Names like Lukhanyo Am, Sbu Nkosi, Makazole Mapimpi, and the electrifying winger from UJ, Aphiwe Dyantyi.
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At just 25 years old, the Lions winger had every attribute to cement himself as a Springbok great. Following his Springbok debut in 2018, he scored six tries in thirteen appearances and went on to win the World Breakthrough Player of the Year Award by the end of that season at the World Rugby Awards.
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However, all that promise was shattered a year later when he tested positive for banned substances just months before the biggest rugby tournament was set to be hosted in Japan. This led to him being banned from the game for 4 years.
In a recent interview with retired Springbok and rugby commentator Gcobani Bobo on his podcast Keeping it Rugby, a now more mature Aphiwe shared his version of events.
Speaking to the host, he said: “When the news came out, I just wanted to dig a hole. I just wanted to disappear; it was horrible.”
After the news became public knowledge, the allegations had devastating effects on not only his career but also his personal life. This saw him experience a loss of income and several other sponsorships. He recalled that he had just purchased a house as well. Stunned by the allegations, he maintained innocence, highlighting that he truly had no idea how the substance got into his system.
He recalled a time when he spoke to a friend of his in the media to try and share his side of the story with the public, and says that all of that backfired after many misinterpreted this as arrogance.
“I was a lot of things to a lot of people. I thought I was pouring my heart out in terms of what I was going through, but what I got back was, ‘No, he thinks he is this, or he thinks he is this and that.”
“But this is what I have learned about people, because to a large degree, I am also like that. It is always too easy to criticise someone else and what has been put out there, and I don’t even know the person,” he explained.
As lonely as he was, he explained that his family played an instrumental role in maintaining his sanity to revive his future.
Missing out on the 2019 World Cup
He later relocated to the Eastern Cape to spend time with family, and says that he could not find himself at the point of watching a single World Cup match.
“The banks have been calling me, the Springboks were in the semis.”
“I couldn’t watch any of the games. The only game I got to watch was the finals. For some reason, I felt a huge part of myself was a part of that, and I wanted to see their destiny; that’s why I watched it.”
As the years progressed, the 30-year-old explains that he has learned lots of lessons. He later went into a partnership with an old friend of his in marketing, and soon expanded his knowledge into the IT industry.
After serving a four-year ban, he has since returned to rugby, where he joined the Durban-based team, the Sharks, and as of 2024, returned to Gauteng, where he currently represents the Bulls in Pretoria.
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Also see:Springbok Aphiwe Dyantyi ties the knot with his Rose
