Golden Lion Tapiwa Mafura talks about his goals and his girls.
It’s ironic, really. Rugby, a sport in which Tapiwa’s wife, Cassidy, had zero interest as a student, is what brought the two together.
At the time, Tapiwa was playing for the Leopards. Cassidy had tagged along with a friend – who was dating one of Tapiwa’s friends and teammates – to watch a game. And despite her telling him that she had been warned about rugby players when he first approached her, the rest, as they say, is history …
Unexpected though the union may have been, Tapiwa says that his playing rugby at university was just as unanticipated. In fact, many of the major milestones of his life have come about through happenstance – like his arrival in South Africa in the first place. Born in Zimbabwe, Tapiwa and his family had been en route to meet his father in Ermelo, where he was staying to organise passports and other paperwork before the Mafuras made a move to New Zealand. Then, he was mugged and all the official documents were stolen. “And so my dad decided that we wouldn’t move … instead we would make a life for ourselves in South Africa.”
For young Tapiwa, that meant being exposed to a lot of new things – including rugby. “I’d played soccer all through primary school, so this new sport made no sense to me. Why were the players hanging on to the ball?” he says. His coach, however, recognised his potential, and it wasn’t long before his bemusement was overruled by excitement. “I was like a kid with a new toy,” Tapiwa remembers.
He was still playing plenty of other sports, though – tennis, basketball, cricket and athletics all had to be factored into his school timetable, until, in Grade 10, his parents asked him to pick just one. Rugby was the clear winner, with Tapiwa quickly proving that he was one to watch.
That was until the end of high school, though. He truly didn’t expect to continue playing through university, until he was picked for one team, then another, and ultimately found himself playing in the Varsity Cup. Still, although this was a pathway to professionalism, Tapiwa just saw it as “a lot of fun”.
By the following year – his fourth as a student of industrial psychology and labour relations (a degree he has yet to use) – the fun was over. Tapiwa played for the Currie Cup, and was invited to sign his first professional contract on his birthday. That meant a move to the Free State for a stint with the Cheetahs. Two years later, he was back in Mpumalanga, this time in Nelspruit, playing for the Pumas. After his second year, the Cheetahs negotiated for his return. Then, last year, he took up his current post in Johannesburg.
Along the way, there have been spectacular moments in equally spectacular games. Tapiwa has played in three Currie Cup winning teams … taking the trophy two years in a row and only narrowly missing a third – “I literally went from having my hands in the air in victory to covering my head in despair in seconds!” He’s felt the stadium shake from the shouts of fans when the Cheetahs took on France’s second-ranking team – “I’ve never played such a well-drilled team; every player knew exactly what to do” – and he has stood out as Most Valued Player when he led Zimbabwe’s team, the Sables, to victory in last year’s Africa Cup. And those are just a few highlights.
Tapiwa’s continuing involvement with the Sables is one of the reasons he has declined the opportunity to play for the Blitz Boks. “I’m passionate about seeing the team do well, because their success would bring about an influx in infrastructure,” he notes, adding that, when his days on the field are done, he may turn his attention to business – and the advancement of the Zimbabwean team is one of the areas where he may apply his skills and talents.
For now, though, Tapiwa is happiest when he’s home with his girls, Cassidy and two-year-old Sofia. “Although travel is part of the job, it’s difficult to leave them,” he admits. “Sofia used to get a little shy with me when I came home; now that she’s older, there’s nothing better than seeing her run to welcome me home.” Running is pretty much Sofia’s natural state – although she has only been steady on her legs for a few months, she’d far rather go places with speed, and already she’s started picking up her dad’s golf clubs and giving them a thorough inspection. A sign, perhaps, that she’s inherited his athleticism and will one day be following in his footsteps on the Bok Women team?
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Getting ready for the game
Tapiwa psyches himself up for every match with a series of rituals:
• I have a gameday playlist that helps me relax and get into my zone.
• When I run onto the field I look up to the sky, in hopes that my mother is watching me play.
• After the game I take a knee to give thanks to the Lord.
Text: LISA WITEPSKI.
