gazelle props ox nche says he was surprised to hear from his former Sharks teammate by Sbu Nkosi mental health struggles.
Nkosi, who joined the Bulls from the Sharks earlier this year, was “missing” for three weeks after failing to report to training in Pretoria on Monday 14 November.
The Bulls requested police assistance in finding him, opening a missing persons file with SAPS before franchise CEO Edgar Rathbone and Bulls security sponsor SSG combined to locate him in Emalahleni.
Nche told a Sharks news conference Tuesday that Nkosi’s battles highlighted the need for stars in the sport to regularly check in on each other.
“Sbu is a smart guy. He works hard and knows what he has to do,” Nche told reporters.
READ | Bulls on the future of Sbu Nkosi: “Our concern is the person, not the player”
“And our job is not easy. He and I understand each other.” [as] colleagues and we get along well off the pitch as well. I think we’re pretty good with each other.
“It was a shock… I didn’t expect it, but that’s the thing with mental health, you don’t see it coming.”
Nche added: “It was definitely worrying for me. It’s a wake-up call to keep checking on ourselves and see how things are.”
Nche and his Sharks teammates are preparing for their Champions League opener against English club Harlequins at Kings Park on Saturday.
The start is at 15:00.
EXCLUSIVE | Springbok star Sbu Nkosi’s father opens up: “This is my son, not a rugby player”
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