Sbu Nkosi grateful to be back with Bulls after break

The Blue Bulls Company has confirmed that Springbok winger Sbu Nkosi has returned to work after being on special leave. 

Nkosi was granted special leave by the Bulls in December and now has joined up with the rest of the first team and will gear up to compete in the United Rugby Championship and the Champions Cup.

The Bok winger took time off to take care of his mental health and was supported greatly by the Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone, who is delighted to have Nkosi back and rejuvenated after the break.

“What a joy it is to have Sbu back among us and more so because we know the difficult journey he has gone through to get back on his feet. He returns to a family that has been waiting for this moment with bated breath and we just are extremely blessed to have him run around again,” said Rathbone in a statement from the Bulls. 

Rathbone said that Nkosi's return to play programme will see him spending time at the franchise's resident high-performance centre to get him up to speed.

“Sbu has some time to spend with the high-performance team to make sure that his integration into the environment is done accordingly, but there are no better specialists in sports science than those we have working with us. So, I am comfortable that he is in the best hands possible,” he said. 

Nkosi, who is said to be looking refreshed, thanked the Bulls and the public for the support they gave him during the troubling phase. 

“Firstly, I want to say thank you. Thank you to the team, the Bulls family and the people of South Africa who have shown me unwavering support over these last few months," Nkosi said. 

"It took some time but I am happy that I am back where I belong and that would have never been possible without the love and kindness I have received.

“The overflow of support allowed me to find comfort and confidence in that I am no lesser a human being for acknowledging and accepting that I am not okay. The support I received allowed me to find my feet again and the only thing I can do now is to pay it forward so that others can be empowered to know that the sun will rise again, even when it does not look like it,” he said.