It’s going to be ‘very different’ for the Kings this year, says Bholi
PRETORIA: Southern Kings flank Thembelani Bholi is a man of few words and when he does speak, he gives little away.
But put the determined young man from the small Eastern Cape town of Maclear on a rugby field, and not only does Bholi find his voice but he plays with the confidence and abrasiveness of his childhood hero Schalk Burger.
While the rest of the rugby world may know little or nothing about Bholi, the lanky loose forward believes that many will know about him by the time Super Rugby comes to a end in August.
However, Bholi and his Kings teammates will need to make a statement in their opening match against the Jaguares at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, and set the tone of how they want to play for the remainder of the season.
“They are tough and they are big, it is going to be a very tough match for us,” Bholi said this week.
“I’m ready to get back on the field after getting injured in that home game against them. It’s happening back at home again and I’m pushing to do well.
“Each and every team is looking at winning their first game and that is where you build your confidence. That is our aim as well.”
Having been part of the Kings’ disastrous Super Rugby campaign last season where they won only two of their 15 games and finished in 17th spot on the log, Bholi says they are a different outfit to that of last year and with no boardroom shenanigans and a better pre-season, they will do better in 2017.
“It is going to be very different compared to last season because we were under a lot of pressure last year. Now we’ve had a lot of time to prepare everything that we need to focus on,” said Bholi.
Bholi knows all about overcoming adversity, with many aspiring rugby players like him not being able to make it out of rural communities in the Eastern Cape.
The 27-year-old Bholi is one of a few of those players fortunate enough to break through the barriers that stop black players from rural backgrounds from making it all the way to the top.
Bholi wants to continue breaking those barriers and defying the myth that a boy from a rural village cannot become a Springbok like his hero Burger.
“I want to be one of the top players in the competition so that I can get myself into the mix to become a Springbok. My ball carries and my defence are still a strong part of my game,” Bholi said.
“Not enough is being done yet with rugby development in the rural areas. Unions in this country, all of them, must visit rural areas and make sure there are coaches in those areas for the children there to grow.”
On Saturday against the Jaguares, Bholi will need to stand up and speak through his actions not only for the Kings’ survival but for the many aspiring rugby players in rural South Africa whose voices and dreams to become Springboks go unheard and never become a reality.