Mujati’s tight fit

Mujati’s tight fit

4 Jun 2008

From Zimbabwean schoolboy to Bok prop – Brian Mujati must be pinching himself.

There’s no disputing that he was the form South African tighthead in the Super 14, although Mujati would disagree that he was so integral to his team. He points to the other seven blokes around him at the Stormers, not to mention the other seven behind the pack and the seven on the bench.

‘Sure, I have improved, but it’s a work in progress,’ he says. He doesn’t quite come out with the ‘aw, shucks’ routine, but he’s not
far off.

Though at 24 he is still very young for a tighthead, Mujati’s path to Stormers’ anchorman has been somewhat zigzag.

There was no stellar but steady rise from prominent South African rugby-playing school via Craven Week to age-group representation. Instead, there was the prominent Zimbabwe rugby-playing school (Peterhouse), Zim Craven Week … and then the lean times.

Mujati left Zimbabwe after matriculating in 2002, determined to make a career out of rugby.

‘It was during Craven Week that I realised I wasn’t too shabby as a player,’ he says. ‘I held my own against some powerful South Africans in the set phases even though as a team we were getting caned. I was lucky going to Peterhouse, though, as it has a long and traditional rugby-playing history. Coaching is still quite established there, so I had a good foundation. But after school …’ his voice trails off. ‘I can’t speak for others, but growing up in Zim you don’t think of playing there. I knew I had to come to SA.’

Mujati duly got to Johannesburg on a student visa and debuted for the Lions U21s. He played a few Vodacom Cup games, then a couple in the Currie Cup. Last year he graduated to the Super 14 side following a spate of injuries, and he played the entire season. He had been given a gap and he grabbed it. It should have been a dream year careerwise, but it ended in acrimony when he was accused of jumping ship during the Currie Cup. He disputes this, saying his student visa had expired, which made his contract null and void. The resentment from Ellis Park still simmers, however, and there was much talk at the beginning of the season of lawyers and courts.

His signing with the Stormers this year only increased the rumblings from Gauteng. ‘Look, I didn’t feel valued at the Lions,’ he says. ‘There wasn’t any major blowout – more like a series of little incidents. Nothing racial, if that’s what people are thinking. I just didn’t fit into their set-up, that’s all.’

He has very much fitted into the set-up in the Mother City. ‘I like Cape Town. I like the people and the lifestyle. I like the Stormers’ organisation and I like Rassie [Erasmus, the head coach]. I like the way he coaches. He’s very chilled.’

Tighthead is renowned as the most demanding position in rugby, but Mujati seems to have taken to it like a natural.

‘I’ve been lucky that I’ve only played prop my whole life,’ he says. ‘A lot of guys started out playing flank or hooker and then moved to prop, but for me it was only about tighthead. From the first I’ve loved the grunt and groan of the position. The scrumming, the mauling, the one-on-one with the opposition loosehead – that’s what gets me going. No-one sees that in the crowd, but I dig it.’

South African rugby digs it too.

By Patrick Farrell

This article first appeared in the June issue of SA Rugby magazine.

mujati-dps.png


571 Comments

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  • 551.crickey mate did you see that shark: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:45 pm

    #543 grootblousmile:
    he he, you should be so luck hey… ;-)
    brrrrr gaan jy my kom warm hou met my klein swart number aan brrr… he he just gotta tease you b4 i go… ciao for real…

  • 552.4man: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:47 pm

    #549 Fern: Supreme confidence want dit is nader aan die vrou. kan iets soos “no winking for him anymore” wees. Die wond het n bietjie “elongated gelyk, meskien is hy van reg bo geskiet. Moelik te sien met die video.

  • 553.Pietman: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:47 pm

    #549 Fern: #550 4man:
    Manne, ek gaan omdop, sien nou eers dis 2 vm hier!
    Praat weer.

  • 554.Fern: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:48 pm

    #550 4man:
    praat jy nou van n kelpy dalk?
    dis die aussies se skaaphonde.
    ek moet se ons het darem goeie skaapskeerders wat die aussies gereeld opfok.

  • 555.grootblousmile: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:49 pm

    #551 crickey mate did you see that shark: Hehehe, as ek jou kom warm hou gaan jy GEEN NUMBER aanhê nie…… njammie !

    You should see how I can tease……… oi vei !

  • 556.4man: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:51 pm

    #549 Fern: ek het gou weer gekyk, hy is definitef van voor geskiet, so ek sou se “supreme confidence” .22 deur die oog moet nie deur been werk nie so dit is die beste skoot want dit is direk in die brein in. Ek is nou heeltemaal seker dit was n klein kaliber wees.

  • 557.4man: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:51 pm

    #553 Pietman: lekker slaap makker.

  • 558.4man: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:52 pm

    #554 Fern: Nie n Kelpie nie, hulle is amper dieslfde. Google “Australian Cattle Dog” jy het een gesien in die Mad Max flieks.

  • 559.Fern: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:53 pm

    4man het jy al crag nagav(spelling) gesien?
    dis die mossad/israeli weermag se hand to hand combat sisteem.
    gee jou tyd om weg tekom en nie soseer die ou heeltemal optefok nie.
    so simple en effektief.
    baie vrouens leer dit vir seld defence.

  • 560.Fern: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:55 pm

    #558 4man:
    kelpy hardloop mos so bo op die skape se ruge,dis nou as hulle aussie base nie die skape spyker nie.

  • 561.4man: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:55 pm

    #559 Fern: Ja maat…maar dis jarrre terug, ek is mos nou n pacifis.

  • 562.4man: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:58 pm

    #560 Fern: :) Cattle dog doen die slfde, maar hulle is a bietjie groter as n kelpie en hulle kom as n “blue” of n “queensland red”. Jy sal die verskil sien.
    Die kruising so 120 jaar terug was dingo/shorthair collie/dalmation. die dalmation se “look” kan jy nie meer sien nie.

  • 563.Fern: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 18:59 pm

    daar is n tyd vir alles 4man.

  • 564.4man: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 19:03 pm

    #563 Fern: Ja nee…soos die boek se :)

  • 565.Fern: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 19:06 pm

    dalmation bly maar n goeie hond.
    pel van my boer,hy het n bull mastiff kruis.
    is daai hond vir jou slim.
    hy is n skaaphond,sal n lam in sy bek vat en nie seer maak nie.
    skiet n eend in n dam en hy gaan haal.jaag tot hoenders aan

  • 566.4man: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 19:09 pm

    #565 Fern: Border Collie is die slimste (daar was n publikasie kort tyd terug hier) ek kan onthou in die top 10 was Alsation, Mastiff, Aussie Cattle dog, Ridgeback ek dink n Newfoundland, ek kan nie meer onthou nie.

  • 567.Fern: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 19:12 pm

    jy kry nie slegte honde nie,jy kry net slegte eienaars.

  • 568.4man: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 19:12 pm

    Anyway guys I am running seriously late now, enjoy the evening. Good luck to all our Welsh friends (they need it)
    a bien tot.

  • 569.4man: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 19:13 pm

    #567 Fern: net so…ek verkies honde oor die meeste mense as vriende. :) ek gaat nou waai, geniet die sous.

  • 570.Fern: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 19:16 pm

    dankie en cheers

  • 571.wpforever: Reply to this comment
    4 Jun 2008, 20:25 pm

    Ron Jeremy would have made a great prop :-)

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