By Brenden Nel.
@GalloImages.
The Vodacom Bulls want Springbok Sbu Nkosi to focus on restoring his health situation and therefore will give him the space he needs to make those changes.
While there was a palpable sigh of relief all around Loftus Versfeld when Nkosi was finally found on Tuesday at his father-in-law’s house in Emalahleni, the Bulls will give Nkosi enough space to work on his mental health before taking any final decision as to where his future lies.
Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone was adamant that the important focus for the team now is to give Nkosi the space he needs to address his situation and the Bulls will be making resources available to help him.
Nevertheless Rathbone described the situation where the Springbok winger disappeared for three weeks without contacting the team, leaving the side to file a missing persons report and prompt fear and anxiety in rugby circles over Nkosi’s well-being, as “a big wake-up call for sport” in South Africa.
Rathbone said that it was with help from the Bulls’ sponsor SSG Security services that they found Nkosi in Emalahleni and thanked the public and fans for their help and concern over the Bok winger’s situation.
He did also stress that Nkosi’s previous disciplinary issues, which have been reported on, have nothing to do with the current situation.
Rathbone said the key was now for Nkosi to find the space to deal with his own mental health issues before returning to the side.
The World Cup winner will be supported by the Bulls medical team – which includes sports psychologist Henning Gericke and outside resources. The Bulls are also not putting a timeline on Nkosi returning to the side.
“At this time it is difficult to put a timeline on it. We need to give him his space and allow him to recover. We are arranging support and for the time he is ready to get that support. We are there to give him his space,” Rathbone said.
“As I said to him yesterday, our goal is to get him back on a rugby field and feeling like a champion again. Even if that means it is not at the Bulls and he feels he needs a new start then that is fine, but it our job to get ready.”
Rathbone did admit that there may still be consequences for Nkosi but at the moment the Bulls were not considering terminating his contract with them, but rather offering him the support he needs.
“He is an employee of the company and being absent without leave for three weeks does have consequences. But, at this stage, I’d say that we’re really missing the point if our concern is whether he has a Bulls contract or not.
“We’ve got a player that’s struggling with mental health issues and going through a really rough patch. That should be our concern: how do we get him back on his feet again and he can stand up and become the superstar rugby player that we all know he is?”
Rathbone added that while the relief was there, the team would be reviewing its own protocols to see if there was anything they could have done better so that in future a similar situation can be avoided.
He also said that the team were obviously affected by the situation, but that Gericke will play a big part in getting the side ready for their European Champions Cup opener against Lyon on Saturday.
“If it is one of your teammates, it is like a family member that first disappeared and is now found. We are obviously all human beings and it has an effect on you. That is why Dr Henning Gericke will have to play a part in making sure that our team is in a good mental space,” he said.
Earlier Nkosi told Sport24 that he was struggling to cope with the pressures of being a modern professional sportsman.
“It’s been building up for a couple of years now, since the Sharks saga (he went missing at the Sharks, also) and it’s been a tough time.
“There’s too much to go into right now: the expectations, the fact that by choosing to take care of myself right now there are people I’m letting down, and that also hurts me.
“But I’m at a point where I need to prioritise the person before the rugby player right now,” Nkosi said.
“I just needed time. I’ve basically been curled up in a ball with my dad, and he’s been managing my mental state daily.”
Despite all the media attention, Nkosi said he did not know about the massive coverage his disappearance received.
“I haven’t kept tabs on anything. It’s been at the point where I needed to manage every thought, so there was no chance I could manage those of other people,” he said.
“Everybody goes through this; it’s just that my name has some gravity behind it and people want to know certain things because of the many special Friday and Saturday nights that we shared together.
“I’m not special or different or unique in any way. I think it’s something that needs to be focused on a bit more, whether you’re on top or at the bottom. It’s always a rollercoaster.
“Maybe a little effort needs to be put into how the guys manage the wave of emotions that come with the good and bad times. A lot of things are out of your control as a rugby player.
“You just try to give the team and the coach the best product you can. And that takes your time, energy and a lot of you. It doesn’t always go like we think it will.
“Nobody really teaches us how to manage ourselves, our thoughts and our emotions. It’s harder for the guys that are in tune with their spirit and their emotions.
“I’ve had plenty of teammates and I can tell you, not everyone is OK. It’s a tough environment.”