Bulls coach Jake White says promising prop Simphiwe Matanzima will have to work on his scrumming before he can be considered for a starting berth.
Matanzima put on an impressive display from the bench in his side's United Rugby Championship 33-31 win over Edinburgh on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld. The big prop will look to break into the URC team this season and make sure he's a prominent figure.
At just 25, the player from Komani, Eastern Cape, is still relatively young for a prop and his prime is still ahead of him. With age, he will get experience, hone his craft, and understand his game better.
His performance in the win over the Scottish side did not go unnoticed, it was a clinical cameo. It was his first appearance of the season after coming off an injury layoff. White noted Matanzima's effort and said that his major work was on his scrumming for him to break into the starting front row.
"To be fair, he just came back from an injury. The one area he knows he needs to work hard on is his scrumming. He’s a great rugby player, he carries and he tackles. He’s still relatively new in scrumming at the international level," said White.
"So there will be games where we feel he's confident enough and the front row is confident. He hasn’t scrummed for a while because of his injury, he had a calf injury. When that combination scrums a little bit more in training and the game, there’s no reason not to start him," he said.
The Bulls are one of the favourites to win the URC after they fell in the final hurdle last season. They will continue their bid to win the multination competition on Friday when they take on Irish province Connacht.
White's team will be boosted by the return of Springboks Sbu Nkosi, Canaan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse, who are set to intensify competition for places in the team.
“The one thing that coaches want is the pressure when it comes to the best players around pushing each other. Sbu, Canaan and Kurt Lee will come back, which will give our group confidence. The more guys push each other for positions the easier it is, not difficult," said White.
Matanzima needs more time to claim starting berth
Image: Gallo Images
Bulls coach Jake White says promising prop Simphiwe Matanzima will have to work on his scrumming before he can be considered for a starting berth.
Matanzima put on an impressive display from the bench in his side's United Rugby Championship 33-31 win over Edinburgh on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld. The big prop will look to break into the URC team this season and make sure he's a prominent figure.
At just 25, the player from Komani, Eastern Cape, is still relatively young for a prop and his prime is still ahead of him. With age, he will get experience, hone his craft, and understand his game better.
His performance in the win over the Scottish side did not go unnoticed, it was a clinical cameo. It was his first appearance of the season after coming off an injury layoff. White noted Matanzima's effort and said that his major work was on his scrumming for him to break into the starting front row.
"To be fair, he just came back from an injury. The one area he knows he needs to work hard on is his scrumming. He’s a great rugby player, he carries and he tackles. He’s still relatively new in scrumming at the international level," said White.
"So there will be games where we feel he's confident enough and the front row is confident. He hasn’t scrummed for a while because of his injury, he had a calf injury. When that combination scrums a little bit more in training and the game, there’s no reason not to start him," he said.
The Bulls are one of the favourites to win the URC after they fell in the final hurdle last season. They will continue their bid to win the multination competition on Friday when they take on Irish province Connacht.
White's team will be boosted by the return of Springboks Sbu Nkosi, Canaan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse, who are set to intensify competition for places in the team.
“The one thing that coaches want is the pressure when it comes to the best players around pushing each other. Sbu, Canaan and Kurt Lee will come back, which will give our group confidence. The more guys push each other for positions the easier it is, not difficult," said White.
Boks down Argentina but it's not enough to win Rugby Championship title
All Blacks thrash Wallabies to put one hand on Rugby Championship trophy
Sharks survive ferocious attack to beat Zebre in Italy
Lions look for better game management against Ospreys
Captain Kolisi and assistant coach Stick gives veteran Steyn the thumbs-up for clash against Argentina
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos