VIDEO: Senatla: 'The bucket is full again'
SPOTLIGHT: Stormers wing Seabelo Senatla opens up on his remarkable comeback journey from a potential career-ending car crash injury to making his on-field comeback for the Stormers this past weekend against Toulon in the Champions Cup.
On May 5 2023, the news broke that the former BlitzBok was involved in a car accident the day before in the build-up to the Stormers’ URC quarterfinal showdown against the Bulls that following Saturday.
Director of Rugby John Dobson at the time didn’t say much and it didn’t seem as serious at the point in time.
“Seabelo was in a car accident, he is okay but in no shape to play rugby,” Dobson said at the time.
“It will be better if he can spend time with his family.”
Following 19 months later – the wing made his comeback for the Stormers off the bench against Toulon in a 14-24 defeat to the former Champions Cup giants.
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Senatla opened up on the realities of what could have happened, and how he initially didn’t took it seriously.
“I wasn’t even thinking about the realities of it being a near-death experience or that my arm could be amputated,” Senatla said.
“The doctors relayed those messages to me but in my mind like it was never a point where I was never going to play rugby again.”
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The flyer admitted that he got a reality check after initially not realising the severity of the situation which took him to a dark place.
“I started off on a very positive note, I’m a very optimistic person and I’m always positive which is a gateway I guess to my denial system kicking in.
“Only after I went to the hospital and got back home that I realised that ‘oh my goodness, this is what it is’.
“My whole midstate before then when I was in hospital I was in this little bubble, and it kind of popped when I got home and I couldn’t do daily things like holding a mug.
“I started questioning my optimistic nature and I think that’s when I turned into my relationship with alcohol.
“I couldn’t do anything else, it was just sitting around and waiting to heal, I had no purpose.”
Senatla concluded with a positive message as he hopes to inspire anyone finding themselves in a similar situation.
“If one person can learn from my story, I would be living within God’s will for my life, and that’s why I’m sharing my story,” Senatla said.
“This is where I came from, this is where I’m trying to go, and if I can inspire one person, I would’ve done my job.”
He added: “That rehab experience helped to refill my bucket,”
“Right now it’s so exciting because I feel like I got my life horse back, it feels like the bucket is full again and I’m so full of life, I want to live life and that’s an amazing place to be.”
Watch the full video below….
