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.
571 Comments
Pages: « 1 … 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 [11] 12 » Show All
4 Jun 2008, 18:05 pm
#497 pauld:
Ok, am not going “there” – Have heard too many stories already …
God, BA service makes QF look almost decent … bleuch … Give me CX any day – as long as you are “up front” & decked out in bling they look after you
4 Jun 2008, 18:06 pm
#500 Pietman: Baie teen Dirkie Uys Laer en Hoer gespeel. Daardie donnerse veld was vol duweljties gewees en op laerskool het ons kaalvoet gespeel. Ja nee , die son het jou goed gemoker daar. maar nie so kwaai soos Hopefield nie , daar onder in daardie dip. En Veldrif was n seesand veld met so twee stronke gras. Malmesbury en worceester het die beste velde gahad
4 Jun 2008, 18:06 pm
#500 Fern:
You are not the boss of me !
Pietman
What does your wife think of Fernly ?
4 Jun 2008, 18:08 pm
#502 Rugby_Princess: I like BA. Always reminds you of the kindness of your grandmother given what serves you onboard. And also nothing nicer than a bent Scotsman trying to tuck you in at night. I live in London and Heathrow is about 20 minutes from where I live so BA makes sense.
4 Jun 2008, 18:09 pm
Naand / Good Evening / Yellooooooo
4 Jun 2008, 18:09 pm
#502 pauld: Theres a Dirkie Uys in Durban too, on the Bluff. Unfortunately they didnt have a great team, they were a co-ed school.
4 Jun 2008, 18:10 pm
#505 grootblousmile: Evening GBS, I’m bailing shortly.
4 Jun 2008, 18:10 pm
hello gbs
4 Jun 2008, 18:12 pm
#507 4man: Makes sense. Dirkie Uys was killed in Natal after all. Pity they had to name a school on the bluff after him. He probably deserved better
4 Jun 2008, 18:13 pm
#507 4man: Why, you henpecked or something…….. ?
Hehehe
4 Jun 2008, 18:13 pm
#506 4man:
school closed a couple of years ago.knew 3 head girls from the highschool.
cant we move to a shorter thread.
lets go to the venter thread please.
4 Jun 2008, 18:15 pm
#510 grootblousmile: Sorry…I dont know what the term means. I have to go early (I’m still working) as my dogs eat beans if I dont feed them soon enough….human beans and then the British police get a bit upset with me
4 Jun 2008, 18:15 pm
#511 Fern: Why, this one is just fine.
4 Jun 2008, 18:15 pm
Mujati was the power behind the Lions scrum last year but Heinke got all the credit, and since Mujati left the Lions scrum is not doing so well. The Stormers’ scrum though is not solid because Brian is there.
4 Jun 2008, 18:15 pm
#511 Fern: ok
4 Jun 2008, 18:15 pm
#511 grootblousmile: Dis seker asgevolg van sondag se kaskenades dat hy hierdie week elke dag vroeg moet waai
4 Jun 2008, 18:16 pm
#513 grootblousmile:
takes long to scroll down
4 Jun 2008, 18:17 pm
#512 4man: Sefrican dogs??
Set the dogs on the Bobbies as well………. hehehehe
4 Jun 2008, 18:18 pm
#518 Fern: Just right clich refresh at the bottom of the page then you dont have to scroll down
4 Jun 2008, 18:19 pm
#503 Rugby_Princess:
Not sure.
I showed her a Fern’s pic taken at a marathon he competed in recently, in his running shorts.
She looked at it, asked me if knew him, frowned, turned it upside down, looked at it again, then tossed it on the dresser, mumbled something in Korean, and continued drying her hair…
I guess she tought he was cool sort of…..
4 Jun 2008, 18:19 pm
#517 Fern: Druk die farking “End” knoppie op jou keyboard fokkerrrrrrrrrr !
4 Jun 2008, 18:21 pm
#518 grootblousmile: A ridgeback a boerboel/great dane cross and a border collie….good girls. they are guests of honour in the local pub already, better behaved than ALL the children
4 Jun 2008, 18:21 pm
#520 Pietman:
en hier ****** dink ek ek kon bank op jou om eerlik tewees.
dankie vir die raad gbs
4 Jun 2008, 18:22 pm
#521 Pietman: I had a friend who married a Korean bird. Her name was : Won Long Moan
4 Jun 2008, 18:23 pm
#523 Fern:
Sit ek jou lekker in die kuk nou, hehehehe!
Jy wil mos rondvry op die blog…
4 Jun 2008, 18:23 pm
#520 Pietman: Please DONT send me a picture of Fern in his shorts.
4 Jun 2008, 18:24 pm
#522 4man: Rhodesian Ridgebacks are freegin awesome dogs……
I now see why you regularly have to go walk the dogs…… those breeds are all very active type breeds.
4 Jun 2008, 18:27 pm
#526 4man:
pietman het jy daai sniper vireoclip gekry?fwd asb vir 4man.
as jy kyk in die slomo hulle het hom net in die bek geskiet,hy is nie dood nie.
hulle wou hom nie dood nie,net so n bietjie laat spoed verloor.
4 Jun 2008, 18:28 pm
#527 grootblousmile: That same Oom Jan in Swartruggens swore by them, he always had one called “rooi pertoors” he used to call me “klein pertoors”. A lot of them became immune to puffadder bites, as they would live through it and this resistance was passed on to the puppies. You are right…fantastic dogs. Mine is called “Bubezi” which is Zulu for lion.
4 Jun 2008, 18:28 pm
#528 Fern: Spoed verloor??
Hy het geval soos ‘n warm patat………….. fattup !
4 Jun 2008, 18:30 pm
#530 grootblousmile:
galo mr, how are you doing?! i must run, we seem to just miss each other the whole time!! cocktails in the rain not my dea of fun but hey, its a girley world out there
ciao ciao all
4 Jun 2008, 18:30 pm
#528 Fern: Hulle het hom uitgevat “Mossad” style, klein kalibre wat nie veel ander “damage” kan doen, baie gebruik in urban situasies. Davy Crocket sal bly wees, hulle skiet nog die regte ouens
4 Jun 2008, 18:30 pm
#528 Fern:
Klaar vir hom gestuur. Hy se daai ou knip sy linkeroog mooi!
#527 grootblousmile:
Ek het op n stadium Ridgeback twak gerook, toe ek nog op die pyp was.
Maar n rifrug is n moerse goeie hond.
Ek dink daai Jock of the Bushveld een was n Rhodesian Ridgeback, dan nie?
4 Jun 2008, 18:31 pm
#528 Fern: Jy is verkeerd maat…hy is deur die linker oog geskiet, die brein moet onmiddelik dood wees anders is daar kans hy skiet die Auntie.
4 Jun 2008, 18:32 pm
#528 Fern:
Kyk mooi, reg in die oog, links.
4 Jun 2008, 18:33 pm
#533 Pietman: Pietman Jock was n Staffordshire kruising…taai honde, met een of ander terrier gekrys.
4 Jun 2008, 18:33 pm
#534 4man:
Watse kaliber dink jy was daai?
4 Jun 2008, 18:35 pm
#532 4man:
klein kaliber,jy sal nie n exit wond in die kop kry nie.hy is deur die bek geskiet smaak my.wil mos kak praat.lewensles.
klein kaliber gee ook minder van n recoil wat akkurasie verbeter.daai snellers is so fyn en sensitief gestel dis nie snaaks nie.druk hom net effens en hy gaan af.
n mens druk mos n sneller,jy trek hom nie.as jy hom trek trek jy die skoot ook van teiken af.
useless info,jy weet al die dinge.
4 Jun 2008, 18:35 pm
#537 Pietman: punt 22 of 9mm nie groter nie, anders is sy kop weg en hy sou harder geslaan het teen die muur.
4 Jun 2008, 18:36 pm
#535 Pietman:
sal weer check.
n klasieke case van “a eye for a eye”?
4 Jun 2008, 18:36 pm
#538 Fern: Fern kyk na my #534 dit was n brein skoot.
4 Jun 2008, 18:36 pm
#536 4man:
Steffie huh, wraggies.
Ek het n rifrug in Pta gehad.
Daai hond het n muur geklim soos n boobejaan, niks kon hom binne hou as die tewe op hitte was nie.
Sy naam was ‘Leeu’, selfde as joune, kan jy glo!
En ek praat van 20 jaar gelede….
4 Jun 2008, 18:37 pm
#531 crickey mate did you see that shark: Eishhhhhhhh oulike dingetjie……..
What’s the hurry, send me a kiss first, demmit !!
4 Jun 2008, 18:39 pm
#539 4man:
Ja, my eerste reaksie was ook .22.
Lyk nie of daar n ‘exit’ was nie, die video is bietjie vinnig.
Maar hy was dood toe hy val, vir seker.
4 Jun 2008, 18:40 pm
#542 Pietman: My boerboel/great dane krusing is n mooi hond, swart met with pote en bors, lyk soos n great dane met grooot skouers, die meisies laaik hom baie, dan buk hulle vooroor om die hond te krap…dan kyk ek maar net
4 Jun 2008, 18:42 pm
#545 4man:
Ek is natuurlik n Bull Mastiff man.
4 Jun 2008, 18:43 pm
#544 Pietman: Dit lyk soos LA en ek ken van die polisie daar een maat het uigetree Howick toe van daar, ek weet wat hulle gebruik…en Mossad styl is een van die maniere (sub sonic low calibre)
As jy n ou klap in daardie toestande is dit a groot gewig weg as hy val en die “hostage” loop weg.
4 Jun 2008, 18:44 pm
#546 Pietman: Ek’s sommer ‘n gewone man…….. hehehe
4 Jun 2008, 18:44 pm
#545 4man:
wat is die rede dat hulle hom in die linkeroog geskiet het?
enige spesifieke rede wat jy kan aflei as jy na sy postuur kyk?
4 Jun 2008, 18:45 pm
#546 Pietman: Oulike honde. Vir werk en taaiheid “Australian cattle dog” ek het een gehad “Sheila” ek sal weer kry as ek kan. Baie slim en vir niks in die wereld bang nie. Anders is dit maar Rufrug, ek hou baie van hulle.
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