CAPE TOWN – When you see Madosh Tambwe up close for the first time, you would think he was a boxer – such is his muscular build.
Considering his athleticism, he might have become a successful pugilist if he had stepped into the ring, but in South Africa, we all know him as a lightning-fast wing.
The 23-year-old, who was born in Kinshasha in the Democratic Republic of Congo, grew up in Johannesburg and made a name for himself at the Lions in senior rugby since the age of 19.
A one-season stint at the Sharks followed, but in February this year, Tambwe signed a two-year deal with the Bulls and moved to Pretoria. It appeared to be a surprise move, but the arrival of Yaw Penxe in Durban led to limited game time for Tambwe, with Springbok Sbu Nkosi also on their books.
A chance to reunite with his junior Lions coach Joey Mongalo, who is in charge of defence at the Bulls, played a role in his decision to go to the capital city.
Talking about boxing, Tambwe says he doesn’t see himself as the “beef” in a Bulls backline filled with speedsters such as Stedman Gans, Stravino Jacobs and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
In fact, he backs his own pace. “At the moment, I think so (that he is the fastest in the squad). But waiting for Kurt-Lee (Arendse) to come back and see what the numbers are like! At the moment, I would say yes,” Tambwe said yesterday ahead of tomorrow’s preparation match against the Stormers at Loftus (7pm kick-off).
“(Moving to the Bulls) was more personal, to be honest. There were things that were happening that I needed to sort out, so Coach Jake (White) called me and asked me how I was doing, and what’s going on. Then I told him about it, and he said what do I thought about coming to the Bulls … I was like, ja, I do. Rugby-wise, it just made a lot more sense to come back here and be at the Bulls.
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“It’s great to be working with Coach Joey again, and an even better opportunity to work with Coach Jake and Coach Chris (Rossouw) as well. It’s really been a treat since I arrived.”
In 2018, Tambwe scored four tries against the Stormers in a Super Rugby match at Ellis Park. He will hope to get on to the score-sheet once more against the same team tomorrow to prove to White that he should be wearing the No 14 jersey in the Rainbow Cup, especially with Arendse away with the Blitzboks.
“Funnily enough, in that game I played against Nizaam (Carr), and this time around, we are going to be teammates. Every winger wants to score, but it’s not a Madosh versus Stormers game. All I can do is prepare myself well, and if the tries come, the tries come,” he said.
“But I’m not going to be fixated on it and put pressure on myself, and say I’m playing against Province and I need to score tries – hat-trick or four tries again, like I did in 2018. Just going to let the game go, and if it goes our way, it goes our way, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
IOL Sport