Sbu Nkosi: Banned Springboks Star Opens Up About Missing Rugby in Emotional Post
- Sbu Nkosi, who won the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and earned 16 Springbok caps, broke his silence on social media this week
- The 30-year-old winger is currently serving a three-year ban after testing positive for an anabolic steroid in May 2024
- Nkosi's Instagram post has drawn attention to a career derailed by mental health struggles and a doping suspension
Former Springbok wing Sbu Nkosi has posted an emotional tribute to his playing days on Instagram, sharing career photographs alongside the words: "I don't have a fancy caption, I just miss being on the field."
The post, published this week, arrives at what could have been the prime years of the 30-year-old's athletic career. Instead, Nkosi is currently unable to train with or compete for any professional team or rugby union, having been handed a three-year doping ban in 2024.
From World Cup glory to a doping ban
Nkosi's career began with considerable promise. He made his name as a prolific finisher with the Sharks in Durban before earning a Springbok debut against England at Ellis Park, where he scored two tries in a 42–39 victory.
By 2021, he had accumulated 16 Test caps and nine tries for South Africa and was part of the squad that lifted the Webb Ellis Cup at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
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His move to the Bulls in Pretoria in 2022 coincided with a sharp downturn off the field. In November of that year, Nkosi went missing for three weeks, prompting the Bulls to open a missing persons case with the South African Police Service.
He was eventually found at his father's home in Mpumalanga, where he disclosed that he had been battling severe mental health challenges, including depression.
A brief return to action in early 2023 was cut short amid ongoing concerns about his absences from training, with then Bulls head coach Jake White publicly raising the issue.
Career lifeline ends in another setback
In March 2024, former Springbok Frans Steyn, serving as Director of Rugby at the Free State Cheetahs, extended Nkosi a one-year contract as a fresh opportunity.
The arrangement lasted only weeks before an out-of-competition World Rugby test conducted in May 2024 returned a positive result for an anabolic steroid. A three-year suspension followed.
When the ban expires in mid-2027, Nkosi will be 31 years old, making a return to elite professional rugby a distant prospect.
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Source: Briefly News
