Tinaye Agere
Tinashe Kusema
TAPIWA MAFURA is no stranger to the limelight.
After all, the Zimbabwe Sables fullback holds the special distinction of winning the Currie Cup with two different teams — the Pumas and Cheetahs.
In his last Currie Cup match, shortly before joining camp for the Africa Cup, the 28-year-old scored a hattrick of tries as the Lions thrashed the Pumas 75-21.
He was narrowly beaten to the man-of-the-match award by teammate Sam Francis, who scored 30 points during that mauling. For all the honours and accolades that have come before and will likely come after, not many will compare to his match-winning performance during Zimbabwe’s historic 32-10 win over Namibia last week.
This was the Sables’ fourth victory in 35 matches and broke a 23-year losing streak to Namibia’s Welwitschias.
The last time Zimbabwe beat their neighbours was a narrow 27-26 win on July 7, 2001 at Hartsfield.
In the game last week, Mafura was duly named man of the match after a near-perfect performance that was capped off by a try and a sublime assist.
“It was truly a big relief to finally get that monkey off our backs; it has been quite a while since we last beat them,” said Mafura.
“I have played against Namibia a number of times and it was always on the losing note, so to get this win now was quite satisfying. It is still yet to sink in that we finally beat them, but it was a very satisfying win for me and the team.
“It is a game we are likely going to remember for a very long time.”
Mafura has certainly been one of the standout performers during this year’s Africa Cup.
As the last form of defence at fullback, he seems to have thrived operating from the back, be it with that last-ditch tackle to thwart attacks or darting and weaving his way through the opposition when in attack.
In the Namibia game, Mafura capped off the sublime performance with an assist of the highest order and a try to boot.
“It was a truly good game; everyone stepped and the execution (of the game) was on point,” said Mafura.
“It was a huge improvement from the Uganda game as we knew we had to be accurate at every facet of the game and I am glad that it went on well.
“I tried to relieve the pressure from my teammates as best I could and just help them look good. I enjoyed the try that I scored and the one that assisted a little more.
“As to where this win ranks amongst my career highlights, it’s right up there with the two Currie Cups that I have won. This was a big win for us. Namibia are always at the World Cups, they are Africa Cup defending champions and to beat them was a big win for us.”
Mafura has been the toast of Uganda’s capital, Kampala, first with an eye-catching performance against the hosts, whom Zimbabwe beat 22-20, and then the Namibian game.
“My time here in Uganda has just been amazing, especially during the first day,” said the 28-year-old. “The game against Uganda was probably the best because the fans were just incredible.
“They were into that game. The MC kept the vibe high up and everything just clicked. Fans play a crucial part in the game and they have been coming out to the games in their numbers and supporting every team.”
He is likely to expect more of the same today, when Zimbabwe lock horns against Algeria in the final of the Rugby Africa Cup.
Algeria are coming off their own surprise 20-12 win over East African giants Kenya.
“We did not pay too much attention to the Algeria game; we just heard that they beat Kenya,” said Mafura.
“We were not too concerned about that game; our main focus was on Namibia and the job that lay at hand.
“They did very well to get into the final and we have to respect them for showing a lot of guts and resilience to get this far. Kenya are a strong side and not easy to overcome. Algeria are going to be another tough test for us and we will really need to bring our A game.”
Online Reporter