Springbok hooker Joseph Dweba has spoken candidly about his move to English Premiership club the Exeter Chiefs.
The 29-year-old has made a bright start to life at Exeter, scoring a try in the Premiership Rugby Cup win over Bath after joining from the Stormers in the off-season.
But the Bok heavy has revealed to RugbyPass that his journey north was shaped by something deeper than rugby – his wife Nomonde’s dream of becoming a lawyer.
Dweba explained that he had turned down a lucrative offer from the Sale Sharks last year because he wanted her to pursue her studies.
“I didn’t jump at it straight away because my wife and I were still deciding if she was going to study or not,” he said. “When she decided to study, I didn’t jump into the offer because I wanted her to follow her dreams.
“She has been following my dreams for such a long time, so I thought I would sacrifice a little bit and stick it out for her, but things didn’t work out as planned.
“So we sat down and said I’ve got this opportunity [Exeter], I’d be stupid not to take it. I didn’t take the other opportunity, but then this one came through, and we said I’d be stupid not to take it.”
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While his move to Devon has been a success on the field, it has come with personal sacrifice. Dweba’s family initially joined him in England but have since returned to South Africa, where Nomonde is studying and their two young children are in school.
“I’m basically by myself,” he said. “I miss my kids. They are a big driving factor for why I do things, and not having them around is a bit tough. It was OK for the first couple of weeks, but going into your flat and just looking at four walls, you want them next to you.
“I speak to them every day. It’s not easy, but we catch up as best we can. Obviously, technology helps a lot, but this is the longest I’ve been away from them. Previously, it was three weeks when I’d go on tour with South Africa.
“Definitely, this is the longest time I’ve been without them. But it’s a sacrifice that we all have to make. I’m not the first one, and I’m not going to be the last one. But as a man, you need to make sure your family is sorted out.”
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Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images
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