Reunited with loved ones, Thaakir Abrahams ready to fly after turbulent Munster start

It would take another six weeks for the paperwork to be completed and Abrahams was finally reunited with his family, just as he prepared to make his comeback from the thigh injury he sustained in URC round two at Zebre.

It was some comeback, too, Abrahams returning to full fitness with his first try for Munster as they rebounded from a three-game losing streak on the road to beat a well-fancied Lions side 17-10 last Saturday at Thomond Park and gather momentum heading into this Saturday’s Champions Cup pool opener at home to Stade Francais.

“It was a huge team performance,” Abrahams said. “It was a tough game against a strong Lions team. I tried to just give it my best.

“My family was over, they came over last week, so it's given me a bit more motivation. It was good to have them here and good to have got a win on the first game back.” 

The importance of reconnecting with his family cannot be underestimated and the relief was palpable when Abrahams spoke to the media at Munster’s High Performance Centre this week.

“My baby was born in France so it was tough to get a South African passport. They were in France for a month and a half, and then finally got them over to South Africa. They spent time with family over there and then finally came over there.

“They are finally here, seeing them for the first time in four months. I mean, I have a newborn. She's five months old. I haven't seen her in four months. So, that was quite a big adjustment for me.

“Obviously it's not the best thing but as a rugby player you get a lot of challenges, a lot of things that are not going to go your way. But I tried to get them over here as soon as possible and now that they are here, they are settling quite well.

“The baby didn't know my face when she arrived here, but we are good now.” 

All of which bodes well for both Abrahams and Munster, who can now expect to start getting the best out of their exciting new signing. 

The domestic saga has also highlighted a resilience to go alongside the dazzling footwork and electric pace and Abrahams explained his ability to compartmentalise his familial issues and rugby life while also settling into a completely new culture 13,500 kilometres from his hometown of Paarl in the Western Cape.

“Yeah, there's always stuff outside rugby that you have to deal with. But I think when it comes to rugby, you need to focus on rugby and then when you're off the field, you focus on your private life again.

“You try not to take it on to the field. As rugby players you need to adapt and take the challenges as they come."

Getting back on the pitch after nine weeks of rehabilitation was a wonderful release for the former Sharks back-three star.

“Yeah, obviously not the start that I wanted, coming here being injured, but it's been good.

“Obviously I’ve just been trying to come back and actually contribute to the team, just getting better, getting fitter, stronger, whatever I can contribute to the team.

“I think that was just my main focus coming back. So yeah, it's good to be back.” Abrahams credited the welcoming embrace of his new team-mates for helping him to acclimatise to his new life in Limerick.

“I didn’t know much about the city but my first URC match when I played for the Sharks was against Munster in Thomond Park actually. So I've been in the city, but not too much for exploring.

“A lot of the lads reached out to me before I came. So I was just speaking to them daily and when I got here, just like catching up with them because when I got here it was like a week off and then we had training.

“It was actually quite good coming here having that week to chat to the guys, catching up, like how things are here.

“Obviously it's my dream to play for the Springboks. At the moment, I'm just trying to play the best rugby that I can to produce for Munster. That's just my main goal for the moment.”