RUGBY NEWS - There were suggestions earlier in the year that Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira’s days as the automatic choice as Springbok loosehead prop might be numbered, but the big Sharks forward has responded in fine style to his critics and is playing a pivotal leadership role in the current team.
Indeed, Bok scrum coach Matt Proudfoot will even go as far as to suggest that in terms of being a leader that the youngsters can follow and a player who can be depended upon, Mtawarira is similar to Bok legend Os du Randt, who was part of two separate winning World Cup efforts.
“I’ve said it since last year, a guy with 95 test caps just brings so much experience, and experience is so important in that position,” said Proudfoot as the build-up continued to Saturday’s final Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash with New Zealand at Newlands.
“He’s the most experienced South African prop of all time. Os du Randt won two World Cups and they are pretty much similar types of players. You can’t chuck that kind of player away. When Jake White went and fetched Os out of retirement to come back for the 2007 World Cup, he was incredible. The front-row is about experience, about learning, because every scrum presents you with a different challenge, and you can only pick that up by learning at the coalface.
