Tapiwa Mafura has scored 20 points in the Currie Cup for the Lions this season. Photo: BackpagePix
Tapiwa Mafura doesn’t have to look too far to find inspiration.
Yesterday, while speaking to the media at Johannesburg Stadium during Lions training, he hoicked his thumb in the direction of former Springbok great Jaque Fourie, who stood in the middle of the field watching over the session with his fellow coaches.
“I looked up to coach Jaque,” Mafura admitted, when recalling his rugby heroes during his youth.
“He doesn’t know, but when I was in high school my teacher used to have Stormers posters in his classroom and Coach Jaque was one of the guys he had up there. There were a lot of guys, like (Gio) Aplon and Bryan Habana.”
The 28-year-old has only recently joined the Johannesburg-based union from the Free State Cheetahs.
An export of Ermelo High School in Mpumalanga, Mafura has brought a degree of versatility to the Lions in the past two months with his ability to slot in at any point, anywhere in the back three.
A former multiple Currie Cup winner – he was a part of the Cheetahs squad that won the championship in 2019 and played a significant role in helping the Pumas to a famous triumph in 2022 – Mafura is now ready for the next stage of his journey.
He made his debut for the Lions against the Sharks at the beginning of this season’s Currie Cup, and has since then notched up another three outings.
His ability to burn the opposition was also laid bare as early as the Lions’ victory over the Pumas last month, when he scored a hat-trick of tries in their 75-21 demolition of his former team.
Our very own Tapiwa Mafura back from a successful Rugby Africa Cup campaign where he represented the Zimbabwean national team. Makorokoto Taps. 🇿🇼🙌🦁#LionsPride🦁 pic.twitter.com/68zxA6tW72
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) July 29, 2024
“I started playing rugby when I was in Grade 8,” he explained. “I didn't know anything about rugby but I was quite quick.
“My coach put me on the wing, and ever since that I have loved rugby and playing in different positions. I got to North-West University and started playing fullback there. That is when my professional career started.
“I went to the Cheetahs in 2018 and we won the cup, playing under Franco Smith. In 2020, I moved to Nelspruit to go play for the Pumas for two years, then in 2022 moved back to play for the Cheetahs again.
“The Lions have been on a really nice journey these past few years. I was intrigued by the way they are playing, and I love what the guys have got going on here.
“Now that I am part of it, I am grateful and blessed to be here … They are a group of guys that are trying to win. The goal right now is to win the Currie Cup. I can also see us contending in the URC (United Rugby Championship) and making the Lions a great team.”
“We will have to be smart with the way we play against Western Province by making good decisions at the back and by staying in the kicking game ... WP have a good kicking game.”
Mafura is expected to make another appearance tomorrow, when the Lions host Western Province at Ellis Park (3pm start).
The visitors are potting around the bottom half of the standings and urgently require a win to stay in the competition.
“They have been struggling the past few games, so we are expecting them to come with a desperate group of guys. We cannot underestimate them,” Mafura said.
“We have done our analysis on them and we know what they are going to bring. We have to be aware of it and be ready because they are going to bring a good game.
“We will have to be smart with the way we play against them, by making good decisions at the back and by staying in the kicking game … They have (Dewaldt) Duvenage that is playing for them again, so they have good guys who are smart.
“We have to be wise in the way we go about our game,” he concluded.
Related Topics: