‘It’s not Tambwe v the Sharks’
WINGS in rugby need to have a certain type of attitude if they want to be successful.
Some would call it arrogance and others confidence. Madosh Tambwe certainly has “it” in abundance, and it is showing on the pitch.
The 23-year-old, born in Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of Congo, and raised in Johannesburg, first made his name at the Golden Lions, but after a few years went to Durban and the Sharks.
Things didn’t work out for him at Kings Park, where the arrival of Yaw Penxe from Eastern Province and the presence of Sbu Nkosi and Makazole Mapimpi (soon), as well as Werner Kok, saw Tambwe out of the mix.
He decided to shift to the Bulls in February, and now the change is paying off for the No 14. Tambwe finally broke his try-scoring duck for the Pretoria side last weekend with two sizzling tries in the 20-16 Rainbow Cup victory over the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium.
He produced some dazzling footwork, scything through the defence with tremendous pace and exquisite side-steps.
“My ankles are hurting a bit there,” Tambwe quipped from Loftus Versfeld yesterday.
“Yeah, good to get that acrossthe-whitewash feeling, considering (in) a couple of games, the warm-up games, they (tries) were disallowed. The week before against the Lions, it was also disallowed and stuff.
“At the end of the day, as a winger you are bound to score. You want to score as many tries as you can. When you are enjoying yourself and feel like you’re being backed in the system, it helps with your confidence going on the field. So ja, I would say I am enjoying myself. At the moment, it’s really going well.”
And guess who the Bulls are facing on Saturday at Loftus (6.15pm kick-off)? Yes, the Sharks … It can be seen as the ultimate grudge match for Tambwe, but he was careful not to bad-mouth his former side.
His duel with Penxe and Nkosi out wide is sure to be thrilling, whether they are running at each other or competing for up-andunders.
“No, it’s not Madosh versus Yaw. And I don’t know who’s going to be selected, and I don’t really, to be honest, care who I play against,” Tambwe said.
“I just have to obviously foresee the plans that we have as a team in the week, and I have to serve my team and not focus on whom I’m playing against.
“Really, leaving the Sharks has got nothing to do with an individual.
“In all honesty, and not wanting to sound arrogant, I’ve got nothing to prove to anyone. I know my skill set as a player, and I don’t have to prove to anyone whether I can play rugby or not.
“My mind is to obviously approach Saturday’s game as I would any game. It’s nothing personal between myself and the Sharks – it’s not Madosh Tambwe v the Sharks. It’s the Bulls v the Sharks.”