Hacjivah Dayimani: We felt the energy from the moment he walked in

The Stormers got their United Rugby Championship (URC) season off to a winning start last Friday with a 29-15 victory over Connacht at Dexcom Stadium in Galway. 

The Bok captain was also seen singing the “Impi yamaStormer” victory song after the win. 

The Stormers welcomed back Kolisi in July to fulfill a mentoring role for the next generation as the franchise looks to build depth and maturity as part of their Project 2029. The two-time Rugby World Cup-winning captain made his professional rugby career debut at the Cape Town-based franchise in 2012. 

Speaking to the media on Monday afternoon, Dayimani revealed Kolisi joined the team for meetings and took part in the pre-match warm-up.

"We obviously didn't know he was coming and he opted he wanted to come to support and train. He wanted to get involved and obviously when we saw him in the team meeting, it was super cool for us,” Dayimani said. 

“We felt the energy from the moment he walked in, he was trying to get the chats up, trying to bring up positivity and from the training to after the game, it was super cool. Especially before the game guys are very focused and he obviously bought the lightness of getting the boys to not stress or tense up and it was super cool for us to see him joining us with that experience. 

“A lot of the guys look up to him and look forward to playing with him and we really enjoyed it."

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With Kolisi returning to the Stormers, the Cape side have added further depth to their loose-forward department. 

The Stormers’ official squad for the 2026/27 season features seven loose-forwards, which highlights the competition for places in the back row.

Dayimani, who started at No.8 against Connacht, says he is prepared to cover wherever the team’s system requires him to play. 

"For me at this moment we have obviously good depth, we have a big team. I think for me knowing my role coming back to the Stormers it's more playing where the coach needs me or where the system needs me,” he added. 

“I think even with Siya, he's gonna cover 6, he's gonna cover 8, he's gonna cover 7. Now I'm gonna cover wing most of the games, I'm gonna cover 6, 7, it comes down to the combinations for the weekend and where the coach puts us. 

“Even this weekend, maybe I might be at wing, maybe I might not be, so it's interesting to see."