In 2005 Aphiwe Dyantyi was mesmerised by the way Tana Umaga passionately led the first Kapa O Pango haka. And, while Umaga is not there to lead it anymore, he will probably get the best seat in the house to view it on Saturday afternoon at Loftus Versfeld.
Dyantyi’s signature try celebration comes from Umaga crossing his arms over his chest before releasing it, symbolising the breaking of chains. But there’s more to it — it was also partly inspired by a coming-of-age movie about the Masaai tribe in Kenya.
“It [the celebration] comes from the adrenaline I feel in the moment, but the story behind it is that when I was growing up, I watched a lot of rugby with my brothers. As any spectator, one of the greatest moments is marveling at the haka, and it was no different for me,” Dyanti told reporters after he was included in the team for the Rugby Championship clash with the All Blacks.
“Watching Tana Umaga do it with so much passion, I kind of got it from there, and then I tried to take it and make it my own, and incorporate it into who Aphiwe is.
“There was a kid from the royal family [in the film] who has to go through an initiation process into manhood,” he added. ‘The kid goes out into the wild and he faces a lion that he goes on to defeat. He did a similar sort of thing [celebration], and it’s also where I drew my inspiration [from]. It’s kind of like conquering lions.”
Dyantyi certainly conquered the lions in his first outing against the All Blacks in Wellington, where he scored a brace of tries in the Springboks’ 36-34 win over New Zealanders.
Dyantyi has now scored six tries in eight matches since making his debut against England in the June series. Many pundits have compared him to the great Bryan Habana, who had similar traits to Dyantyi when he first burst on to the scene – speed, a lovely swerve and work rate.
“I’m just really flattered by the comparison [to Habana], but that mainly comes from you guys [the media]. He [Habana] is a legend in his own right, and he’s proved himself on the biggest stages. But I’m Aphiwe at the end of the day, and I’m trying to carve my own path and make my own history,” Dyantyi said.
“I want to enjoy every opportunity, because not everyone has this opportunity [to play for the Boks], and so I just want to make the most of it.”
Dyantyi, though, still believes that he can become a better player.
“It’s still an ongoing process, but there is still a lot of room for improvement, individually and as a team. Credit must go to those who have helped me to settle,” he said.
“I don’t think playing for the national team you will ever be comfortable. I’m just excited for every opportunity that comes my way, improving and hopefully do the country proud.”