DHL Stormers centre Ruhan Nel fields a couple of questions, from his injury rehabilitation progress and home repairs, to being a new father.

You injured your knee at the end of last year, how is the rehab going?
It has been going well, in the first six to eight weeks there is not much you can do. It is just important in the first two months to celebrate the small victories like can I bend my knee a little bit more or if I started cycling it’s a positive.

Having recently bought a house, are you doing a lot of DIY around the house?
The plan in December was to do quite a lot of DIY and unpacking, but then I got injured. Since I can move a bit easier I am getting stuck in, painting a couple of walls and the TV unit I am building. There are a couple of other things I want to get done around the house as well and it helps that I can move around a bit more.”

You are often mentioned by teammates as a player who could become a good coach, is that something you see happening after rugby?
At this stage, while I’m injured I’ll be involved in some coaching capacity, it is an opportunity I won’t say no to. It is something that I love doing and something that I look forward to getting involved in.

As one of a few new dads in the Stormers squad, how has fatherhood treated you so far and does it help to have teammates going through the same thing?
It is very rewarding, with the long-term injury if I was younger and didn’t have a kid then I would be much more impatient and try to rush or force the rehab process because you want to get back on the field as quickly as possible. But having the little one at home, you miss quite a lot when you are not at home, so that brings quite a lot of perspective for you. It is a natural thing to slow down and enjoy the time that you get to spend at home. With the other guys in the squad who have also recently had kids I am one of the lucky ones because I am a little bit behind everyone else, so whatever we are going through it is a quick question about ‘why does this happen ‘ and then you get some good advice.

For more, see thestormers.com

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