Why Joseph Dweba walked away from lucrative Sale Sharks deal

Exeter Chiefs’ new boy Joseph Dweba has revealed he turned down a lucrative move to Sale Sharks last season because he wanted his wife, Nomonde, to follow her dream of becoming a lawyer.

Dweba, 29, has made four appearances for the Chiefs, scoring a try in the PREM Rugby Cup win over Bath following his summer move from the Stormers.

The Springbok hooker, who won the last of his six caps against Argentina in August 2023, turned down an offer from Sale to see out the final year of his deal while she made up her mind about studying.

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“I didn’t jump at it straight away because my wife and I were still deciding if she was going to study or not. When she decided to study, I didn’t jump into the offer because I wanted her to follow her dreams.

“She has been following my dreams for such a long time, so I thought I would sacrifice a little bit and stick it out for her, but things didn’t work out as planned.

“So we sat down and said I’ve got this opportunity (Exeter), I’d be stupid not to take it. I didn’t take the other opportunity, but then this one came through, and we said I’d be stupid not to take it,” he said.

Dweba’s family travelled with him when he initially moved to Devon, but have now returned to South Africa, leaving him on his own. Even though he enjoyed the quiet for a couple of weeks, he misses family life.

“The family came over to see me off. They went back to South Africa, where my wife is studying and my son and daughter are at school. So I’m basically by myself.

“I miss my kids. They are a big driving factor for why I do things, and not having them around is a bit tough. It was okay for the first couple of weeks, but going into your flat and just looking at four walls, you want them next to you.

“I speak to them every day. It’s not easy, but we catch up as best we can. Obviously, technology helps a lot, but this is the longest I’ve been away from them. Previously, it was three weeks when I’d go on tour with South Africa.

“Definitely, this is the longest time I’ve been without them. But it’s a sacrifice that we all have to make. I’m not the first one, and I’m not going to be the last one. But as a man, you need to make sure your family is sorted out,” Dweba added.