Beast hangs up his boots
Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira leaves international rugby on a high after the Springboks’ recent glorious world cup win
ASK anyone who’s ever played with him to describe him and the anecdotes and accolades fly thick and fast. Unbelievable in the scrum. A guy who leads by example. One of the hardest-working players in the team.
gem. gentleman. A real loss to Springbok rugby.
Ever since Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira announced he was retiring from international rugby after 117 Tests and a career that’s the stuff of dreams, people have been singing his praises.
And for good reason. Beast is a Bok stalwart, a demon in the scrum and a formidable loose head prop who puts his body on the line every time he sets foot on the field.
So there was shock and sadness when the 34-year-old announced he was bowing out shortly after the Rugby World Cup.
Yet what a time to hang up your boots, he says. “The fact that I could end my rugby career by winning the world cup is amazing. It’s every player’s dream to win it.”
Making that glorious night in Japan all the more memorable was the fact that wife Kuzivakwashe Makore-Mtawarira (28), daughter Talumba (8) and son Wangu (6) were watching from the stands.
“I was crying – if not wailing – in the stands,” recalls Kuzivakwashe – or Ku, as her husband calls her. “I kept thinking this is all Tendai ever wanted in his career.
“He’s been so diligent and disciplined. He’s given 12 years of his life to the game and for him to reach that ultimate goal and for me to experience it from the stands was phenomenal.”
Hooker Malcolm Marx, who’s often played in the scrum with Beast, says the veteran Bok’s reputation, hard work and achievements in his career tell you everything you need to know about him.
“Having a guy like Beast with you in the scrum is unbelievable,” he says. “I’ve learnt a lot from him.”
Beast made history when he played his 159th match for a Super Rugby team this year – the most of any South African player. He’s also the most capped prop in South African history and the third-most capped Bok of all time, after Victor Matfield and Bryan Habana.
But there’s a lot more to this man than his rugby achievements. He may stand 1,83m in his socks, hit the scale at 117kg and have the killer instinct of a panther, but off the field he’s a real sweetheart.
“He’s a gentle giant with a beautiful soul,” says Rene Naylor, who’s been a Springbok physio for the past 10 years.
“That’s what comes through, even though he’s a monster on the pitch.”
BEAST spent plenty of time away from his wife and children throughout the course of his career and it was often tough. “It was the hardest for me when I missed my wife’s or kids’ birthdays,” he says.
Luckily, his wife is just a video call away and when the time difference is too great, Ku – who’s studying towards a degree in psychology – sends him videos of the kids’ achievements.
Home for the Mtawariras is a sprawling house in Salt Rock on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, and when he’s home Beast enjoys playing with the kids on the beach. It’s important to him that his family live in a safe environment as he’s away from home so often.
Rugby may have been Beast’s life for more than a decade – he first made the Bok team in 2008 – but it isn’t all this legend of the game has been doing.
About eight years ago, Wahl Bartmann, also a former Springbok and executive manager of security company Fidelity, approached him to become a brand ambassador, and Beast is now the client relations manager.
Then, in 2018, when he was approaching his 100th Test match, he started the 100 Reasons to Dream project, which facilitates the donation of rugby boots to promising young players.
“The intention is to give boots to deserving kids, and Asics came on board as a sponsor straight away,” Beast tells us.
“I’ve never forgotten the first time
I was given a pair of boots when I was at school and that was the stimulus for the project.”
Beast grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe, and still visits extended family there about four times a year. One of his biggest goals is empowering young players in the country of his birth and affording them better opportunities.
A few years ago he and a friend, Kisset Kuda, started the Get Involved Foundation, an initiative that helps secure sponsors and bursaries for young players at various clubs and universities in America, Britain and South Africa.
AS ONE of the Springboks’ most experienced players, Beast played a key role in South Africa winning the world cup. Rugby experts – and practically everyone who watched the match – agree the Bok forwards destroyed their opponents in the England team.
Beast, one of the leaders in the Bok scrum, helped lead the team from the front.
“Beast doesn’t talk a lot on the field,” Malcolm says. “He leads by his actions. But when he does talk, everyone listens and soaks in what he’s saying. He has a lot of experience and knowledge about the game.” Rene agrees. “When he speaks, the players know it’s going to be something meaningful, something they’re going to reflect on and use.”
She laughs when she recalls the words of another Springbok powerhouse, Bismarck du Plessis. “He’d say, ‘I feel safe going into that scrum when I see Beast shaking and the sweat dripping from his face’.”
Vincent Koch, another Bok teammate, also praises him for his hard work. “He has a lot of talent but the work he puts into it really stands out for me. He’s always the first guy in the gym and the last guy out.”
He adds with a grin, “I wouldn’t want to be up against him on the field. But having him on my team is just unbelievable.”
Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi believes Beast’s contagious positive energy is what’s made him a favourite with his teammates.
“He’s always open to a good chat and a laugh. There’s absolutely no arrogance from this guy. He’s an absolute legend – nationally and internationally. He inspires so many people and he’s just humble about his success.”
Beast can now add author to his list of accomplishments after the recent publication of his self-titled memoir, written in collaboration with sportswriter Andy Capostagno.
If someone had told him years ago he’d one day be one of the most celebrated rugby players in the world, he would’ve said they were mad.
“Now I want to inspire people with my story,” Beast says. “And I think I have an interesting story to tell.”
Turn over for an extract from the book.