Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

The Super Rugby record 'The Beast' is about to break and the fellow Bok he's taking it from

Tendai Mtawarira

Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira has been hailed as a rugby legend as he prepares to equal Adriaan Strauss’ record as the most capped South African Super Rugby player.

ADVERTISEMENT

Mtawarira will make his 156th appearance in the competition against the Bulls at Kings Park but he is still some way behind retired Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett who holds the overall record with 202 matches for the nine-time champions.

Sharks coach Robert du Preez is acutely aware of how much the Sharks depend on the loosehead prop whose nickname is chanted by Kings Park crowd every time he touches the ball. Beast is now 33-years-old and has won 107 Springbok caps and Du Preez spoke for a nation when he said: “When you speak about Beast‚ you need a long time to talk about him. It’s not a cliché but he’s a true legend of the game and he’s been immense for us this year with his leadership on and off the field.”

Strauss played for the Cheetahs and then the Bulls and was a test front row colleague of Mtawarira’s but the prop has remained with the Sharks throughout his career which started in 2007. The problem facing Mtawarira and his team mates in trying to register a win to mark the prop’s achievement is their dreadful record against the Bulls who have veteran hooker Schalk Brits in their front row.

Video Spacer

The Bulls beat the Sharks 37-14 earlier this month in Pretoria and that extended their recent domination over their fellow South Africans. In the last eight matches between teams, the Bulls have seven wins and a draw which is a record of success going back to 2014.

Sharks midfield options have been limited after centre Marius Louw was suspended by a Sanzaar Foul Play Committee for three weeks to join fellow centre, Jeremy Ward in the stands. Ward was given a five-week suspension for a reckless and dangerous tackle in the match against the Bulls in Pretoria and Louw was penalised for the same offence on a Rebels player at the weekend.

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
SK 10 minutes ago
What is the future of rugby in 2025?

Set pieces are important and the way teams use them is a great indication of how they play the game. No team is showcasing their revolution more than the Springboks. This year they have mauled less and primarily in the attacking third. Otherwise they have tended to set like they are going to maul and then play around the corner or shove the ball out the back. They arent also hitting the crash ball carrier constantly but instead they are choosing to use their width or a big carrying forward in wider areas. While their maul is varied the scrum is still a blunt instrument winning penalties before the backs have a go. Some teams have chosen to blunt their set piece game for more control. The All Blacks are kicking more penalties and are using their powerful scrum as an attacking tool choosing that set piece as an attacking weapon. Their willingness to maul more and in different positions is also becoming more prominent. The French continue to play conservative rugby off the set piece using their big bruisers frequently. The set piece is used differently by different teams. Different teams play different ways and can be successful regardless. They can win games with little territory and possession or smash teams with plenty of both. The game of rugby is for all types and sizes and thats true in the modern era. I hope that administrators keep it that way and dont go further towards a Rugby League style situation. Some administrators are of the opinion that rugby is too slow and needs to be sped up. Why not rather empower teams to choose how they want to play and create a framework that favours neither size nor agility. That favours neither slow tempo play or rock n roll rugby. Create a game that favour both and challenge teams to execute their plans. If World Rugby can create a game like that then it will be the ultimate winner.

34 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
'Let's not sugarcoat it': Former All Black's urgent call to protect eligibility rules

Yep, no one knows what will happen. Thing is I think (this is me arguing a point here not a random debate with this one) they're better off trialing it now in a controlled environment than waiting to open it up in a knee jerk style reaction to a crumbling organtization and team. They can always stop it again.


The principle idea is that why would players leave just because the door is ajar?


BBBR decides to go but is not good enough to retain the jersey after doing it. NZ no longer need to do what I suggest by paying him to get back upto speed. That is solely a concept of a body that needs to do what I call pick and stick wth players. NZR can't hold onto everyone so they have to choose their BBBRs and if that player comes back from a sabbatical under par it's a priority to get him upto speed as fast as possible because half of his competition has been let go overseas because they can't hold onto them all. Changing eligibility removes that dilemma, if a BBBR isn't playing well you can be assured that someone else is (well the idea is that you can be more assured than if you only selected from domestic players).


So if someone decides they want to go overseas, they better do it with an org than is going to help improve them, otherwise theyre still basically as ineligible as if they would have been scorning a NZ Super side that would have given them the best chance to be an All Black.

147 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ What is the future of rugby in 2025? What is the future of rugby in 2025?
Search