The Munster Rugby Debrief with Thaakir Abrahams

He’s tackled injuries, mastered paddleboarding, and now calls Limerick home — Munster Rugby’s Thaakir Abrahams has had quite the ride since arriving from Lyon. From family rituals to fishy hobbies and that epic La Rochelle comeback, we caught up with the man himself. Read on for the full chat…

Thaakir, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster start to your Munster journey - how would you sum it up so far?

Yeah, it's been a rollercoaster from the start of the season. I came here with a fresh mindset, obviously, to play the best rugby that I can and I started off well with a few games, and then obviously I got a hamstring injury, shoulder operation, and it's been up and down. But I guess that's what we need to deal with as rugby players – you need to adapt. But it's on track now. So, hopefully it stays like that.

You mentioned the past four months being tough - what kept you going during that rehab period?

I just wanted to get out there with the lads again. I obviously wanted to come back a bit fitter and stronger, but my whole motivation was just to get out there with the lads again and just play the best rugby that I can and keep on improving during the year.

How did it feel finally stepping back on the pitch against La Rochelle? Did it live up to what you'd imagined?

Yeah, it did live up to and actually exceeded what I had imagined, to be honest with you. The whole build up to the game was pretty good – the send off at Shannon Airport was amazing! The whole buzz of the week was good and I got a good feel throughout the week and stepping onto the field. It felt like a home game, to be honest with you, with all the Munster supporters there. It was unreal for us to have all those supporters there with us, so it lived up to what I thought it was going to be and more.

What was it like stepping onto the Virgin Media Park pitch for the first time with the crowd behind you?

Oh man, the Munster fans are unreal!  To be honest with you, they're one of the best supporters out there. That's what I felt the first time I jogged out and onto the field. They stand behind you no matter what and I mean, every game is a big game, but especially when you play at home at Virgin Media Park – you can actually feel that support, which is really good for us.

What was your first impression of the Munster lads when you joined the squad?

Oh man, they're good – they're good craic! Obviously, I had this expectation of them being nice people, and of the people in Ireland in general being so nice – the Munster fans are so nice to me. I kind of had that impression before I got here and they just proved it right. Amazing, amazing guys over here.

You've gone from Durban to Lyon, and now to Limerick - what's the biggest culture shock along the way?

It would probably have to be the weather in Europe. I had to get used to the long summer days, which you normally don't get in South Africa. In Ireland it kind of rains a lot in the winter time and it’s just a bit cloudy every day. And I think also just the flow of life. I think in South Africa we have this fast-flowing life – the hustle and the bustle, like they say. I feel it's a bit more slowed down here, which is good.

Do you have any little pre-game rituals or superstitions before heading out on the field?

I don't have a lot of rituals or superstitions. One thing I’ve started doing just before the game, as we get there to the field and before I do my round around the field, is I call my wife, and the kid now, just to let them know that it's going down. I normally just say what I'm going to do on the field and things like that. So, I think that's just a small little thing that I do.

Have they been able to watch you play since you've joined the Munster team?

Yeah, they actually did. They also flew over for the first game I was back. It took them a couple of months to get here, but, they’re here now. They try to watch every game that I play so that’s lovely.

When you're not on the pitch or in the gym, what do you get up to in your playtime?

I like to spend time with my family, to be honest. Also, I like the outdoors, so fishing, and I recently got into paddleboarding, the stand up paddleboarding, which is actually amazing.

When it's good weather, like what we’ve been having here, I go to the river and just paddleboard, catch some fish afterwards, and also I like my braais, or like they say over here, ‘barbecue’.