‘Beast’ in Bulls U19
ONE of Queen’s College’s star rugby players, Simphiwe “Beast” Matanzima, has made a huge forward push in his rugby career after making it into the Blue Bulls U19 team – something he says he would never have imagined three years ago.
Speaking to The Rep in a telephonic interview on Wednesday, Matanzima said he was born and bred in Queenstown and went to QC Junior when he started school in 2004. The Beast started rugby when he was seven years old, playing for the under 8A team. Matanzima played prop and flank until he got to under 13A when he concentrated on prop. He has played for the A team since then, except when he was dropped to the second team halfway through the season in 2014.
“Being dropped was very dif- ficult to take because I was replaced by a player that I have always played with, a player I thought I outshone. But I reacted positively to it and worked hard. It paid off when in 2015 I played for the first team the entire season.” Matanzima said it was not easy when he got to high school as competition became tougher. He said one had to be competitive and work hard, adding the journey had been challenging.
The excited Matanzima said at the Bulls, competition was also tough, but the team was the best in the country for the development of juniors. “Three years ago I would never have imagined I would be here today, this is very exciting. My short term goals are to play in the Young Guns Varsity Cup and I would love to be in the starting line-up for the under 19 Currie Cup. My long term goal, of course, is to play for the Springboks, and I will give it my best,” he said. Matanzima added that his family had always been his support base from a young age.
A word to the 2016 Queen’s first team? The Beast said the team should not look at the previous years, but rather focus on the goals of the new year.
A proud headmaster Brendan Grant said Matanzima was a good pupil who excelled in rugby, adding that Matanzima was on the level of SA Schools last year. “He is an outstanding player with great hands and skills. He has huge potential and in him Queen’s is hopefully looking at the next Springbok,” Grant said. One had to have a certain amount of talent and work hard to reach Matanzima’s potential. He said QC was a breeding ground for players as it had a love for rugby, plus the historic and traditional love of rugby by the people of the Eastern Cape.