PLAYER ONE-ON-ONE: Stormers winger Leolin Zas’s roller coaster ride pit-stops at top try-scorer award

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PLAYER ONE-ON-ONE: Stormers winger Leolin Zas’s roller coaster ride pit-stops at top try-scorer award
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Try-scoring machine Leolin Zas has resurrected his flagging career at the Stormers in 2022. Here, he reflects on the journey so far.

Stormers winger Leolin Zas has added another triumph in a rollercoaster past few years: this season’s top try-scorer award in the United Rugby Championship .

“When you are still young you are trying to prove something. I played for Boland at Craven Week and didn’t come from a big school, so it was always about proving myself. I was a bit reckless in the way I played. When I look back now I can see how motivated I was to prove people wrong and show what I could do,” explained Zas.

The determined winger then went to the Sharks in 2018 in an attempt to reignite his career, a move that didn’t bear fruit as Zas slipped down to playing in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge. Struggling to recapture nearly forgotten form, scarce playing time and constant niggling injuries frustrated Zas before another blow in 2020 – the loss of his father due to Covid – appeared to spell the end for him as he contemplated retiring from the sport he once seemed destined to succeed in.However, against all odds, things began to click for the older and wiser winger this season.

“Earlier in my career it was more all about me and what I can do to show the coaches I should be there. Now I know that coaches look at the smaller things where you can add to the team as well. “Before, I was nervous to try things because I was scared of making mistakes and costing the team. I feel like I have more freedom, but that also comes from the coaches giving me that freedom and the type of rugby our team is playing gives me that.

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