EVERY MUNSTER SUPPORTER will know Thaakir Abrahams hasn’t had the ideal start to his time in Limerick, with the summer signing injuring his thigh in just his second apperance of the season. Turns out, that’s only the half of it.
Abrahams and his wife, Tasneem, welcomed their first child over the summer. The timing of his move from Lyon to Munster made some of the logistics difficult for the young South African family. Abrahams was in Ireland by late August after his own visa delays but Tasneem and his daughter, Diyaana, only followed him over recently.
“They are finally here, seeing them for the first time in four months,” says Abrahams.
“The baby didn’t know my face when she arrived here, but we’re good now.
“She’s five months old. I hadn’t seen her in four months. So, that was quite a big adjustment for me.”
The complications lay in Diyanna being born in France, with the Abrahams’ waiting on a South African passport and then a visa before they could join Thaakir in Limerick.
Thankfully, those off-field frustrations are now behind them and the Abrahams have been getting out and about in Limerick together, making up for lost time. The 24-year-old made an impressive return from injury in Munster’s 17-10 defeat of the Lions last weekend and is hoping to kick on when the province welcome Stade Francais to Thomond Park for their Champions Cup opener on Saturday.
Abrahams impressed on his return from injury lasts weekend. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
It’s the latest new chapter in what has been an interesting rugby journey. It all started in Paarl, a town of around 285,000 located in South Africa’s Western Cape.
“Like 50 minutes outside Cape Town, into the Winelands area there, in like a small valley,” explains Abrahams.
“Not a big place. But now that I’m looking at, it’s actually a very nice place. As I was growing up, I was like, there’s nothing to do here, but now looking back, I’m like, okay, it’s actually a nice place.”
He grew up in a large family, with rugby in the blood. Abrahams had a sight issue as a child and received his first pair of glasses before he’d reached his first birthday. “My uncle always used to say: ‘Is there something wrong with this kid?’ I crawled quite close to the ground.”
Before long he was on his feet and that was it.
We’re quite a big family. My mother’s side, there’s eight children. So my mother’s the youngest and I have older cousins and grew up playing rugby. I was born running in the roads playing touch rugby. It was always part of me, I guess.
Advertisement
“I kind of did a bit of everything growing up. I even did karate and cricket when I played in South Africa. Cricket is quite big. I did athletics, I was everywhere growing up. And then going to high school I mainly focused on athletics and rugby.
“We had to have one winter sport, one summer sport. So athletics was summer and then rugby was more like your winter sport.”
That athletics background helped shape the rugby player Abrahams would become. The province targeted the winger after identifying a need for more speed in their backline, and his quick footwork and lightning pace were on display against the Lions. It will come as no surprise that when it came to athletics, Abrahams favoured the shorter track disciplines.
“Yeah, so 100m and 200m, that was my go to. In my 100m my fastest time was probably 10.8 seconds. That was a while back though!
“I was always top three in the school and always up there. Obviously I’ve tried to work on it every training and obviously when I was injured now as well, trying to work on that to come back faster, come back stronger. It’s always something I work on.”
He jokes that Diarmuid Kilgallen – Munster’s other speedy summer signing – might have the edge on him these days. Kilgallen has also been troubled by early-season injuries but Munster will hope the pair can add a new dimension to their backline as the season progresses.
A positive start in Europe would be a welcome boost after the disruption of Graham Rowntree’s surprise departure before the November break. Abrahams’ best days in a Lyon jersey last season came in the Champions Cup. He scored five tries across four appearances in Europe as Lyon reached the last 16, while he registered two tries in nine games across the Top 14 season. He still dreams of becoming a Springbok and Champions Cup rugby is his best platform to catch the right eyes.
Abrahams made his URC debut for the Sharks at Thomond Park in 2021. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
Abrahams is a former South Africa U20 international and before his season in France he spent three years with the Sharks – with his URC debut coming away to Munster in September 2021.
Now Limerick is home.
“Great city actually. Small, just like my hometown. The guys showed me around and there’s always something to do. The lads are always planning something, good coffee shops. I tried to get into the coffee myself. I have a coffee machine at home, so I’m trying to get on that as well!
“Obviously not the start that I wanted, coming here being injured, but it’s been good. I’ve just been trying to come back and actually contribute to the team, just getting better, getting fitter, stronger, whatever I can contribute to the team.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'I was born running in the roads playing touch rugby. It was always part of me'
EVERY MUNSTER SUPPORTER will know Thaakir Abrahams hasn’t had the ideal start to his time in Limerick, with the summer signing injuring his thigh in just his second apperance of the season. Turns out, that’s only the half of it.
Abrahams and his wife, Tasneem, welcomed their first child over the summer. The timing of his move from Lyon to Munster made some of the logistics difficult for the young South African family. Abrahams was in Ireland by late August after his own visa delays but Tasneem and his daughter, Diyaana, only followed him over recently.
“They are finally here, seeing them for the first time in four months,” says Abrahams.
“The baby didn’t know my face when she arrived here, but we’re good now.
“She’s five months old. I hadn’t seen her in four months. So, that was quite a big adjustment for me.”
The complications lay in Diyanna being born in France, with the Abrahams’ waiting on a South African passport and then a visa before they could join Thaakir in Limerick.
Thankfully, those off-field frustrations are now behind them and the Abrahams have been getting out and about in Limerick together, making up for lost time. The 24-year-old made an impressive return from injury in Munster’s 17-10 defeat of the Lions last weekend and is hoping to kick on when the province welcome Stade Francais to Thomond Park for their Champions Cup opener on Saturday.
It’s the latest new chapter in what has been an interesting rugby journey. It all started in Paarl, a town of around 285,000 located in South Africa’s Western Cape.
“Like 50 minutes outside Cape Town, into the Winelands area there, in like a small valley,” explains Abrahams.
“Not a big place. But now that I’m looking at, it’s actually a very nice place. As I was growing up, I was like, there’s nothing to do here, but now looking back, I’m like, okay, it’s actually a nice place.”
He grew up in a large family, with rugby in the blood. Abrahams had a sight issue as a child and received his first pair of glasses before he’d reached his first birthday. “My uncle always used to say: ‘Is there something wrong with this kid?’ I crawled quite close to the ground.”
Before long he was on his feet and that was it.
“I kind of did a bit of everything growing up. I even did karate and cricket when I played in South Africa. Cricket is quite big. I did athletics, I was everywhere growing up. And then going to high school I mainly focused on athletics and rugby.
“We had to have one winter sport, one summer sport. So athletics was summer and then rugby was more like your winter sport.”
That athletics background helped shape the rugby player Abrahams would become. The province targeted the winger after identifying a need for more speed in their backline, and his quick footwork and lightning pace were on display against the Lions. It will come as no surprise that when it came to athletics, Abrahams favoured the shorter track disciplines.
“Yeah, so 100m and 200m, that was my go to. In my 100m my fastest time was probably 10.8 seconds. That was a while back though!
“I was always top three in the school and always up there. Obviously I’ve tried to work on it every training and obviously when I was injured now as well, trying to work on that to come back faster, come back stronger. It’s always something I work on.”
He jokes that Diarmuid Kilgallen – Munster’s other speedy summer signing – might have the edge on him these days. Kilgallen has also been troubled by early-season injuries but Munster will hope the pair can add a new dimension to their backline as the season progresses.
A positive start in Europe would be a welcome boost after the disruption of Graham Rowntree’s surprise departure before the November break. Abrahams’ best days in a Lyon jersey last season came in the Champions Cup. He scored five tries across four appearances in Europe as Lyon reached the last 16, while he registered two tries in nine games across the Top 14 season. He still dreams of becoming a Springbok and Champions Cup rugby is his best platform to catch the right eyes.
Abrahams is a former South Africa U20 international and before his season in France he spent three years with the Sharks – with his URC debut coming away to Munster in September 2021.
Now Limerick is home.
“Great city actually. Small, just like my hometown. The guys showed me around and there’s always something to do. The lads are always planning something, good coffee shops. I tried to get into the coffee myself. I have a coffee machine at home, so I’m trying to get on that as well!
“Obviously not the start that I wanted, coming here being injured, but it’s been good. I’ve just been trying to come back and actually contribute to the team, just getting better, getting fitter, stronger, whatever I can contribute to the team.
“It’s good to be back.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Munster Rugby thaakir abrahams