Leyds looks to cap his SVNS switch with gold

HE WAS at a crossroads with his rugby career after a serious injury robbed him of a breakthrough season in the Currie Cup with Western Province.

But a couple of months later, with a handful of impressive performances in his debut SVNS Series career, Blitzbok Tristan Leyds will become an Olympian in a few days.

Leyds, younger brother of Springbok Dillyn Leyds, jetted off to the 2024 Paris Olympics with Team South Africa and is looking to cap off his first season in rugby’s shorter code with a medal.

It hasn’t been the best of seasons for the Springbok Sevens, but Leyds has made a breakthrough in the side and quickly established himself as one of the playmakers for interim head coach Philip Snyman.

While he had to leave the fifteens code behind, he is happy he took the challenge on at the Springbok Sevens Academy and reaped the rewards early in his time in Stellenbosch.

“It was a tough decision at the start because I didn’t know if things would work out,” Leyds said.

“You have guys who’ve been at the Springbok Sevens for years and leaders in the position that I play in. So, finding a spot in the team was tough during the first couple of months. Things didn’t go my way.

“And then doubt of ‘did I make the right decision?’ started setting in. But eventually, in January, I made my debut for the Blitzboks.

“Just a week ago I spoke to my brother (Dillyn) and told him it’s 17 months since my (ankle) injury, and it’s the first time that I realise the rehab and things were worth it and it’s paying off.

“Not, I get the opportunity to represent South Africa at one of the biggest events in the world, if not the biggest, and I can only be grateful for the opportunity that came my way.”

He almost did not find his way to the Springbok Sevens set-up.

That ankle injury had him in tough situations. Mentally, he could not shake the feeling of not being on the field. There were days when he struggled to get to rehab.

But his support base kept him going and motivated him to keep pushing when he felt he couldn’t.

Leyds, a product of the Western Province system, said last season would have been a first as a senior player in the WP Currie Cup system after also playing a couple of matches for the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship.

“A week before the Currie Cup I got injured in a warm-up game in Stellenbosch. Four months into that injury, I got a mental breakdown and I called in to say that I won’t be coming to work this week. Luckily the physio (at WP) understood and gave me some off time.

“My family supported me at that time, but the two people who played the biggest role were my girlfriend Amy (Cupido) and brother, they kept me positive and we spoke daily.

“My girlfriend kept my mind a bit off rugby and always said there are other things to be grateful for. It helped me to stay positive, especially taking that break from rugby. Talking to her and doing things with her to clear my mind.”

It took him five to six months to recover from the injury, but he blamed himself for the lack of discipline he had. But, even that had a silver lining as he joined the Springbok Sevens upon his recovery and the rest, as they say, is history.

Leyds has had a meaningful impact at the Blitzboks and will hope his point-scoring abilities can assist the team as they chase gold in Paris this coming week.

The Blitzboks will face Ireland (5pm), and New Zealand (9.30 pm) on Wednesday, with Japan (4pm) concluding the pool stages on Thursday.

“We have quite a tough pool with Ireland and New Zealand, Japan is also doing quite well. We have some beef with Ireland, with them winning and then we win. The same with New Zealand. We didn’t get a taste of Japan in the series, but I am sure they will be hungry to play us,” said Leyds.

“For once, I am happy that we are the underdogs going into the Olympics and we have nothing to lose but everything to go for.”