Thaakir Abrahams showing his worth after 'frustrating' start with Munster

It's been a difficult start for Thaakir Abrahams at Munster, both on and off the pitch, but the South African is hopeful that his luck is starting to change.

The 25-year-old speedster had been spoken of as one of the final jigsaw pieces Munster needed when he joined from Lyon in the summer; a lightning-quick winger and full-back who could break games from deep, but such has been Munster’s luck with transfers in recent seasons, he’s had little chance to show it.

Abrahams started the season opener against Connacht before picking up an injury a week later in the shock defeat to Zebre, a thigh injury which ultimately kept him out for four more URC games, as well as the exhibition against an All Blacks XV.

While he was on the sidelines, the province fell into a poor run of form, after which head coach Graham Rowntree departed.

It’s been a tough start to life in Limerick, but his return last weekend against the Lions showed just why Munster’s coaches were so excited about his arrival in the summer.

He scored his first Munster try when he gathered a skidding John Ryan pass to dive over the line, while his blistering break down the right touchline assisted Shane Daly for Munster’s second try just after the break.

"It was very frustrating for me. It’s not the way I wanted to start, coming here," he said of his early injury this season.

"It’s part of the game and you just have to deal with it, but I tried to come back a bit stronger, a bit faster, I was working on it."

Behind the scenes the Paarl native was adjusting to a new country and a new environment away from family.

When he moved to Ireland in August, he had to come here without his partner Tasneem and newborn baby Diyaana while they waited back in South Africa to get a passport