Marvellous Mapimpi His entry into the Bok team has deviated as far from the script as you can imagine
Springbok winger has had an unusual journey to the top
● Makazole Mapimpi is a man on the move. Frankly, he’s had to be a man of perpetual motion.
Within the space of a few seasons, he’s been at the Border Bulldogs, Southern Kings, the Cheetahs, the Sharks before graduating to the Springboks. Being in a restive state comes naturally to the winger. “As a youngster, he would walk 10km a day to school,” said Mzwandile Stick, the Springboks’ assistant coach.
“It’s a very special story,” Stick teased. “He comes from a rural area in the Eastern Cape, a place called Tsholomnqa. The coaches and players always laugh when I tell the story of how, in the rural areas, if you kick a rugby ball, the coach will take you off the field.”
That, you may think, would have suited the free-running Mapimpi. Back then, however, he was playing flyhalf and he’s had to be a Forrest Gump-type player since.
“You are supposed to run and catch, that’s all,” Stick reiterated. “So, he was never exposed to a game where there was kicking and aerial skills and stuff. He was always very fit, very dedicated to what he wanted to achieve.
“When we invited him to our camp last year, we knew what we were dealing with, and just wanted to make sure we give him the best possible support to improve his game,” said Stick.
Watching Mapimpi, you never quite get the sense he is the finished article. However, he has never been confined by convention or indeed the tunnel vision that comes with first impressions. His journey is unique.
His entry into the Bok team has deviated as far from script as you can possibly imagine. Mapimpi is taciturn, and limits his responses when he is presented to the media. His English is a work in progress, but one day he shocked his teammates and coaches. “During one of our training camps we were standing in a huddle when he suddenly spoke up,” said one of the Bok coaches.
“He said he didn’t like feeling so isolated on the wing. We couldn’t believe it.”
Crucially though, Mapimpi has done his talking in the most obvious way a wing can.
He has always been one of the best finishers
Mzwandile Stick
Springboks assistant coach
He let his running do the talking. He scored tries in his sleep and it is a currency coaches love having, not so much in the bank, but in their wallet.
Thirteen tries in 12 Tests speaks of a man very much on the move. In fact, he joined Bryan Habana and Pieter Rossouw by scoring 10 tries for the Boks in their first 10 Tests.
“Hell, Makazole, for us, wings are there to score tries,” Bok coach Rassie Erasmus enthused.
“Currently, it is happening in our team, and it is great that it is happening. It is great that we are getting the balls to the wings, and they are scoring tries. Having Makazole in the form he is in is fantastic,” said Erasmus.
Mapimpi, though already 29, has had a meteoric rise since he joined the Kings.
“If you look at Makazole’s past two to three years in Super Rugby and Pro14, he has always been one of the best finishers in the game,” said Stick.
“When he played for the Southern Kings, he managed to score tries in a losing side. When he went to the Cheetahs, he did the same thing, and at the Sharks, he is one of their best finishers. Hopefully this week, they (the wings) will get some opportunities.”
Opportunities are not what Mapimpi had in oversupply in his formative years. In fact, he’s had it tough. His mother died in a car accident, his brother, stealing cables, lost a leg when electrocuted and later died of his injuries.
Chased a dream
Had his mother and his sister been alive he might not have chased a dream. They discouraged him from playing rugby.
“It’s a nice story to tell youngsters,” said Stick about Mapimpi’s tireless drive. “Irrespective of your background, if you really work hard, and your opportunity comes, you need to be ready.
“I am happy with where Makazole is at the moment. He still has room for improvement, but with the players around him, I see him going far.”