Kitshoff making lockdown count
DHL Stormers prop Steven Kitshoff has been making the downtime in lockdown count, in terms of his injury rehabilitation and by keeping himself busy in a number of other different ways as well.
The experienced front row powerhouse captained the DHL Stormers in all but one of their Vodacom Super Rugby matches this season before the lockdown and suffered a pectoral injury in their final match against the Cell C Sharks.
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Having undergone surgery shortly afterwards, he has since spent the lockdown period working his way back to full fitness and has made significant strides, which should see him available for selection once rugby resumes.
“The first two months was all in lockdown, I had to do all the rehab stuff from home and try and keep busy on the wattbike.
“Recently I have been going in to the HPC twice a week to see the doc and the physio and the rehab process has been going great to be honest. I’m feeling good, I have got a lot of mobility back and I am starting to build my upper body strength again, so I am feeling confident going into the last few weeks of the injury.
“I have got another month or so left before I am match-ready, but otherwise it is feeling good, I don’t have any issues or pain, it is just about trying to get the strength back to be able to take contact,” he said.
Apart from the fitness work, Kitshoff has also used the lockdown period to do some part-time studying and get some home renovations done.
“I have been trying to keep busy, I did a couple of short courses through GetSmarter, I did a Property Development course and a Management course. I also had a couple of things around the apartment that I wanted to do, like paint some walls and there were a few things in the laundry room and living room that needed to be fixed. I have also been trying to keep busy with a daily routine of rehab and getting on the bike to do some cardio,” he explained.
While the studying and home improvement have kept him busy, he has also missed watching rugby as much as anyone and is looking forward to watching the New Zealand teams go at it when Super Rugby Aotearoa gets underway this weekend.
“I can’t wait, after being deprived of rugby, absence makes the heart grow fonder. You miss the sport so much and just to be able to watch it on tv again with two teams going flat-out at each other, I am very excited,” he said.
Looking ahead to what can be expected when rugby does resume in South Africa, Kitshoff said that the DHL Stormers will look at the possibility of playing in front of empty stadiums as another challenge to overcome on matchdays.
“It will be a different experience and probably something we will have to get used to, the first couple of games will probably feel like a training session. You will have to get your energy from your teammates and try to be as focused as if there were 40 000 people in the stands,” he added.
