An untimely groin injury earlier this year, brought Lubabalo “Lubs” Dobela’s Blitzbok dreams to a temporary standstill. After making only two appearances for the Blitzboks, the 24-year-old player was told that his injury would render him inactive for three months. He spoke to MatieMedia’s Tim Malinzi about the mental struggles that followed.
Lubabalo “Lubs” Dobela stays at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport, along with several of his teammates. Dobela joined the Blitzboks setup in 2020 and has since received two caps for the national sevens rugby team. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
All his life, Lubabalo “Lubs” Dobela has wanted nothing more than to run onto a rugby field wearing the green and gold of the Springboks. On 1 April, he finally got a call-up to the South African Sevens Rugby team, affectionately known as the Blitzboks.
However, the 24-year-old’s dream would soon become a nightmare. In his second appearance for the team, Dobela suffered a groin injury that would see him return to the sidelines for the next three months.
The mental side of injuries
“It really sucks because you get a taste of what you’ve been working your whole life for, and in an instant, it’s snatched away from you,” says Dobela.
Dobela’s April selection was supposed to see him tour Singapore and Canada with the Blitzboks as they competed in the HSBC World Rugby Seven Series. In a match against Kenya in Singapore, Dobela felt a sharp pain while attempting to run past an opposing player near the touchline, he says.
“I’m trying to take a guy on the outside and my groin goes,” he explains. “I play on and I have a big chase down. After that chase down, I knew that it was pretty bad.”
On 1 April, the Blitzboks announced via Instagram that Dobela was set to join the side touring Singapore and Canada as part of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
Dobela suffered a chest injury the year prior and only recently returned to the Blitzboks set up. Suffering another injury in quick succession, affected Dobela mentally, he says.
“It almost gives you that ‘why me’ mentality,” says Dobela. “I’m thinking to myself; ‘Am I doing something wrong? Is there someone against me here? Am I meant to be doing this?’ These thoughts… they run through your mind.”
Although he was well supported by his teammates, Dobela recalls feeling reluctant to engage with anyone. After departing from the tour early to treat his injury, he didn’t want to leave his room.
Dobela explains that the multiple injuries he has suffered, frustrated him to the point where he called both his dad and agent requesting to leave the Blitzboks camp.
“I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to stop this. I just wanted to leave,” he recalls.
Apart from the more recent chest and groin injuries, Dobela has also struggled with ankle and knee injuries in the last three years.
“You go into this dark place,” he says.
Siba Xamlashe, a close friend of Dobela, and rugby player currently contracted to the Toyota Cheetahs, shared similar sentiments. Xamlashe himself has suffered multiple injuries and says that the physical struggle is only half the battle; the rest is mental.
“It really isn’t easy,” says Xamlashe. “The thing is, we work so hard in training everyday trying to get better and be the best player that we can be. So an injury is such a setback and it’s something we can’t control.”
Xamlashe empathises with Dobela, but says he knows that “Lubs will 100% come back stronger than ever”.
The 24-year-old Dobela suffered a groin injury in his second appearance for the Blitzboks earlier this year. This led to several mental battles for the young player. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
A long road back
Despite the mental trauma that comes with suffering an injury as a professional athlete, the next step is to overcome these challenges and get healthy, says Dobela.
“It’s a dark space. But if you stay trapped in that sort of place, you’re never going to get better,” Dobela explains.
During his most recent setback, Dobela’s focus was on how to “get back as quickly as possible”.
He acknowledges, though, that the recovery process should not be rushed, as this increases the risk of the injury reoccurring. Instead, he worked on getting stronger and ensuring that this injury does not happen again, he says.
“That’s the only way to go about it in a […] constructive way. Obviously, I have my rehab, but I’m always thinking about what other little things I can do to come back better,” says Dobela.
These “little things” Dobela is referring to included doing dynamic and static stretches as he wakes up and before he goes to bed.
Despite a groin injury earlier this year, Lubabalo “Lubs” Dobela is now focused on once again competing in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
Family first
Dobela details a conversation he had with his dad after his latest injury.
“[My dad] told me; ‘You’ve been a man for a while now, but now real life is hitting you and it isn’t fair. So you can keep thinking that someone is going to come save you, or you can get past this and move on’,” recalls Dobela. This encouraged Dobela to focus on his recovery.
Dobela’s dad is a constant in his life. His dad regularly reminds him to “wake up each morning and go do the things that you want to do”, says Dobela.
Dobela is very much a family man, according to Rebecca Swan, a friend of Dobela.
“He has a lot on his plate but he always makes time for those that he loves, and family is definitely a priority for him,” says Swan.
His family were the first people to know about his Blitzboks call-up, says Dobela. The announcement was met with messages of support and pride in his achievement, he adds.
In his spare time, Dobela enjoys playing Xbox, hanging out with friends and “pretty much anything” to distract himself from the pressures of playing rugby. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
A tough transition
Dobela switched over from the traditional 15-a-side rugby to the sevens format after his contract with the Toyota Cheetahs expired in 2020. He explains that he was initially reluctant to make the switch because he prefers the traditional format.
“I was at home for about eight or nine months without a contract,” says Dobela. “I didn’t feel like I was ready for that; I didn’t think that I could play sevens. But I took the risk of betting on myself.”
The Blitzboks approached Dobela to join the training squad in 2021, according to Dobela. Upon joining the squad, Dobela says that he felt out of his element at the time.
“For the first two to three months […] I was horrible,” states Dobela. “I thought I was fit – I wasn’t fit. I thought my legs could handle anything – I was wrong.”
Dobela laughs while recalling this, knowing how much he has improved as a player over the years.
“The transition for me was tough,” he says. “But eventually you get into the swing of things; you work hard and it pays off. But yoh, I struggled.”
Consistent playing time on competition level is the next key to his development, according to Dobela.
“I’ve played against the squad guys. I’ve played against other clubs. I’ve played against other African countries in the Solidarity Cup we had here,” says Dobela. “Now I want to play on the [HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series] circuit and see what that’s like. Even though I have these two games… I need more.”