ZRU keen to lure Mafura
ZIMBABWE Rugby Union will f ace a t all order to convince man- of- t hemoment Tapiwa Mafura to be part of t he Sables team for t he Rugby World Cup France 2023 qualifiers.
Mafura, who has spent most of his playing time in South Africa, has been in top form in the PRO14 and the Currie Cup across t he Limpopo.
His exploits i n t he 2021 Currie Cup has strengthened his chances of being called- up for South Africa’s senior national team set- up and t he Zimbabwe Rugby Union will keep t heir f ingers crossed that the Hwange- born player chooses to play for the country of his birth.
The ZRU have been keeping t abs on t he player and l ast year he was i ncluded i n former coach Peter de Villiers’ provisional Sables squad for t he 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifiers although he didn’t make t he f i nal squad due to club commitments i n South Africa.
The union, who have als o been affected by the current national l ockdown, faces a tough task to convince t he skilful backliner to play for Zimbabwe as his move to t he Cheetahs i n 2018 enhanced his chances of playing for the South African senior national side, t he Springboks.
The Zimbabwe- born utility backl i ner excelled in t he South Africa Schools Rugby circuit and went on to represent North West University in the Varsity Cup in which he was named in t he Varsity Cup Dream Team i n 2018.
In t he s ame year, he went on to represent t he Cheetahs Rugby i n t he PRO14 and t he Currie Cup.
After t hat he was selected i nto t he Sables provisional squad for t he 2019 Rugby World Cup Qualifiers.
Nicknamed “The King of Bloemfontein”, the dazzling f lyhalf was born i n Hwange before moving to South Africa where he attended Ermelo Christian School ( Grade 3– 7) and Ermelo High School i n Mpumalanga.