Stormers flanker Nama Xaba impressing for URC champions with action-packed all-round contribution

While the Stormers may have lost their first game of the 2022/23 United Rugby Championship (URC) when going down to Cardiff away from home last weekend, one player that stood out in the defeat was flanker Nama Xaba.

Xaba crossed the whitewash on two occasions during the encounter and continues to build on his undoubted promise as his star continues to rise. 

Xaba made a name for himself at the UCT Ikeys and is a former SA Schools captain and Junior Springbok representative. On Tuesday evening, he was named the Player of the Year for the Western Province's Currie Cup campaign at the annual WPRFU awards.

That Xaba is excelling comes as no surprise to Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani according to the Stormers website. 

"I started coaching him U19 at the WP Rugby Institute and quickly saw that he's one of those smart guys. He was head boy at Glenwood High, played Sharks Craven Week, and then came to Cape Town where he went to UCT to study to be a land surveyor and play for Ikeys.

"He's a very good kid, and as much as he focuses on his rugby, he also focuses on his education, and he's almost done with his degree.

"He's clearly a good leader, and coaches have recognised those traits along the way.

"His brain is his strength, and he matches that with a very high work rate. Nama makes very good decisions on the field – he's a good student who learns quickly and always wants to improve because he's hungry.

"And he's also one of the guys that usually makes the most tackles, carries and poaches. The key to his poaching is that he does it well but also at crucial times."

While the Stormers have not yet named their team to face the Lions in a URC clash on Saturday, with his continued excellent form for the coastal franchise, Xaba is