Madosh Tambwe. (Photo by Gordon Arons/Gallo Images)
- Bulls wing Madosh Tambwe is confident of contributing well to the Springbok cause should he be selected for the June Test engagements against Wales.
- Tambwe has been in decent form for the Bulls, even though he came off injured in Saturday’s win against the Dragons.
- Tambwe will be playing against Irish side Ulster at Loftus Versfeld this coming Saturday.
The Springbok group for the June Test engagements against Wales hasn’t officially been named, but Bulls wing Madosh Tambwe gave off the impression that he’s been affirmatively whispered to from a selection perspective.
Just getting into the squad is an achievement considering the depth the Boks have out wide, with Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe being the incumbents.
There’s also S’bu Nkosi, Aphelele Fassi and Jesse Kriel if required, meaning Tambwe, who again had a decent outing for the Bulls in their 55-20 crushing of the Dragons until he came off injured, may have to wait in the queue.
Tambwe understands his place in the pecking order, but said it would be amazing for him to get an opportunity to play Test rugby.
“It’s massive to be called up to the national team and I’m excited to find myself in that box of players that could make it to the June Tests,” Tambwe said.
“You also have to give credit where it’s due because there are World Cup-winning guys who are playing well in those positions.
“Makazole Mapimpi is playing well for the Sharks and Cheslin Kolbe may be in France, but he’s also doing well there.
“They’ve been in and out of the Bok camp in the past two years, but they’d definitely be the safe net for selection.
“If I do crack the nod, it would be amazing to play in the June series.”
Tambwe, who said he’ll be playing with a few pain-killing injections for his injured elbow in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Ulster at Loftus Versfeld, has been part of a Bulls set-up that looks to finish their set of matches against Irish teams.
They were comfortably beaten by Connacht and Leinster last year, but saw off Munster three weeks ago.
The all-round strength of the Irish teams give off the impression that they’ll provide the same challenge the New Zealand sides provided in Super Rugby.
Tambwe said they’re in a better space as compared to when they played the other Irish teams and they will be tested by Ulster.
“We’ve now got the gist of how they play and we know they’re going to play for the full 80 minutes,” Tambwe said.
“They test your skill-set, they test your defensive systems and how well you’ve done your homework when it comes to your attacking game.
“We’re in a better place now as compared to when we started the competition and we have a fair platform to test ourselves against those teams
“They’re very similar to the New Zealand teams in terms of what they bring to the table in terms of testing everything you have.”
Discussion about this post