It’s return of the wing wonder
Penxe roped in to give Kings plenty of zip
WING Yaw Penxe has been parachuted back into the Southern Kings squad to add extra zip to their attack for a crunch showdown against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
The 20-year-old flew to Buenos Aires yesterday with a Kings squad who are facing an uncertain time regarding their Super Rugby future.
Penxe is one of the new young stars in the Kings team who have scored 39 tries in 12 games and are determined to end on a high note in their final games against the Jaguares, Bulls and Cheetahs.
With a decision on the future of the Kings only scheduled to be made next week, Penxe is unsure of what the future holds. Insiders say the Kings will be axed from Super Rugby and included in an enlarged European PRO12 tournament.
“We still waiting to hear what happens to the Kings. I would love to stay here,” said Penxe.
“I am looking to be in the team for the last three weeks here and then look where life takes me after that.”
After making his Super Rugby debut for the Kings, Penxe represented Junior Springboks at the World Championships in Georgia earlier this month. The Baby Boks clinched third place and a bronze medal by beating France 37-15.
“I am very excited to be back at the Kings after a month. I joined them at training last week on Thursday and now my focus is on the final three Super Rugby games of the season.”
In three Super Rugby games for the Kings, Penxe has scored two tries and he will be keen to add to that tally in the final weeks of the season.
“It has been a wonderful year and I am so grateful for it. I did not expect to play Super Rugby for the Southern Kings, but after the U19 tournament for EP, I was aiming for the Junior Boks.
“It was a great experience for me and it was the first time I was involved in the national set-up. I enjoyed it a lot and learned a great deal from the coaches and also the players. It was very nice.
“I did not get as many chances as I would have liked, but that is rugby and you sometimes get chances and sometimes not. All the games were very tough and the rugby was of a high standard,” said Penxe.
Andisa Ntsila, Chris Cloete, Lionel Cronje and Makazole Mapimpi, who faced the French Barbarians over the past two weeks, have also been included in the Kings’ touring squad.
Kings head coach Deon Davids named his touring squad of 25 on Monday which included the return of prop Schalk Ferreira, hooker Michael Willemse and utility back Masixole Banda after injury layoffs.
“We are aware of the fact that this Jaguares side is very much the team that has been on international duty for Argentina over the past few weeks in the international window. “Gaining momentum and continuity will not be an issue for them,” said Davids.