EXCLUSIVE: Nohamba retains hopes of Boks call-up

Shizuoka Blue Revs scrum-half Sanele Nohamba still has hopes of donning a Springboks jersey after leaving his homeland to take up a lucrative opportunity in Japan.

Nohamba, 26, joined the surprise title contenders from URC outfit the Lions in February and joins a host of South African stars in Japan's top-flight such as Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel and teammate Kwagga Smith.

The URC Player of the Season spoke to RugbyJP after Shizuoka’s impressive 56-26 victory over champions Toshiba Brave Lupus which secured them a play-off berth.  

Asked if he feels the door is still open for a Springboks call-up, uncapped Nohamba said: “My mind is here with the Blue Revs right now, if it happens then good, if it doesn’t then I’m happy to contribute as much as I can to the Blue Revs and to see where that takes us.”  

Nohamba made a 21-minute cameo at number 10 in his third appearance for the club as Shizuoka upstaged Richie Mo’unga’s Toshiba and has been impressed by the standard of League One.

“The physicality is up there and obviously the speed is second to none compared to all the competitions I’ve played in. The skill level is high and you get tested a lot.”

The latest South African to join the league has made two appearances at scrum-half and one at fly-half with youngster Shuntaro Kitamura the club’s first-choice number nine while Australian Sam Greene and vice-captain Kenta Iemura are in front of the former in the fly-half pecking order.  

“I don’t have a preference of where I play, I just want to help the team, whether I’m at 9 or 10 I really don’t mind, that’s a discussion for the coaches and it is a recurring topic but I’m happy in either role,” Nohamba said.  

“As a rugby player sometimes you get to start, if you come off the bench you still have a job to do and it’s just as important as a guy whose starting, all I want to do is to put my best foot forward and help the team win."

Commenting on Shizuoka’s second win over Toshiba this season, the former South Africa u18 and u20 international told RugbyJP: “The boys did the small things well which gave us opportunities to score points.”

Nohamba is part of a small South African contingent in Yuichiro Fujii’s squad which includes inspirational captain Smith and centre Sylvian Mahuza. Springboks starlet Damian Markus was recently released after suffering a season-ending injury in January.  

Shizuoka return to action when they host play-off contenders Yokohama Canon Eagles in round 16 on Sunday 27 April. 

Pictures courtesy of Shizuoka Blue Revs