Zono looks the finished product for the Bulldogs

WHEN asked which players he expected a lot from in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge just before the tournament began, Border Bulldogs coach David Dobela singled out diminutive flyhalf Oliver Zono.

“He’s been in our systems for a long time now, it’s time he delivered,” said Dobela at the time, a coach’s praise for a job well done by his team is almost always accompanied by what they could do better.

But draped over the shoulders of the 1.75m tall, 75kg standoff, Dobela’s encouragement or threat appeared to be an easy way to put too much pressure on the 25-year-old from Fort Beaufort.

Yet his response has been nothing short of phenomenal, topping the scoring charts (83 points) and try-scorers’ table with six and featuring in the top five of both the most penalties (fifth) and most conversions (fourth) lists.

Before last night’s must-win game against EP Kings at BCM Stadium (by the time of going to print the game was still on), Zono has two unforgettable games for the Bulldogs.

There was the 45-7 defeat to Western Province where Zono waged a lone and vain war against the Province juggernaut, which was followed by his 80th minute try against the SWD Eagles to win the game 26-25 last weekend.

So if he felt put under pressure by his coach it wasn’t obvious: “It was something I already expected of me as well. Last season we had three flyhalves, Thembani Mkokeli, [Southern Kings utility back] Masixole Banda and I, so sometimes I played and sometimes I didn’t.

“When Mkokeli retired and Banda went to the Kings I felt I got a chance to play regularly and thought I must use it well and not waste it.”

Asked what he attributed being near the top of all the points-scoring charts, he simply said it was his job. “It’s my job as a flyhalf to convert penalties and conversions, I didn’t have enough time to do it last year because I wasn’t the first-choice player,” he explained. “The tries I think are down to the fact that I know the guys I play with very well, so I can run good supporting lines for them and get the ball as a result.”

Zono first came across rugby at Tinis Higher Primary School in Fort Beaufort, where he was a social cricketer who had rugby playing friends: “I thought I should check it out and I really liked it. Back then I started playing at scrumhalf, but at 17, when I was at Eyabantu Senior Secondary School I started playing flyhalf.”

Luckily Kwenzekile Nofemele, his coach at school, knew the Border development officers and told them about his find, which led to stints in the Border Sevens team, the Border Academy side and three years in the Eye of the Tiger Academy, from which he finally joined the Bulldogs proper in 2014.

Zono says growing up he looked up to All Black flyhalves Carlos Spencer and Dan Carter, and would like to model his game on the latter. But before that happens, Dobela has some pointers on what needs to be worked on.

“Oliver has grown, now it’s a matter of monitoring him and working with him on the few tactical things he needs to work on,” began Dobela.

“He’s very good at running with the ball, being able to change direction and he’s got an eye of when to release the ball. I just think he needs to work on his tactical kicking and kicking at poles.

“Another area where we’d like to see him grow is that he’s a quiet guy, an introvert in a way. We’re trying to get him to dictate terms on the field and give direction on the field.”