Former Stormers and Springbok winger Dillyn Leyds shared a proud post about his younger brother Tristan Leyds after the Blitzbok star was named HSBC SVNS Men’s Player of the Year.
“There are moments that happen in life, where no amount of words will do it any justice. This right here, this was one of them. Imagine telling this kid from Strand he’ll be the best in the world at what he does one day, you couldn’t dare dream it. But he’s gone and done it!”
That part right there. That is the one. Because I also come from Strand and if you know, you know. Good things are made in Strand. Talent is not new here. It just takes time before the world catches up.
And growing up here, you learn quickly that dreams are not always met with applause at first. In places like Strand and many working-class coloured communities, talent is never the issue.
It is the environment around it that sometimes makes dreams feel too big for the space you are standing in. In many cases, young athletes and creatives are met with scepticism before support.
It is within that context that stories like Tristan begin to stand out. Raised in Strand, a town that has produced notable sporting talent including Springbok and Stormers player Damian Willemse, his rise forms part of a broader pattern of athletes emerging from communities where resources are limited but determination is not.
Tristan has been grinding through the Blitzboks system on the HSBC SVNS circuit, putting in the work on the World Series stage where nothing is easy and everything is fast. Now he is literally being called the best in the world at sevens rugby. Not “one of”. The best.
It is proof that the same streets, school fields and local clubs that raised him are capable of producing world-class talent. And for many young athletes in Strand and beyond, that is no longer just a story told by others. It is something they can now point to and believe in.
