In Test rugby, Makazole Mapimpi has a remarkable strike rate when it comes to scoring tries, but he says that success for the team comes first and he doesn’t care who scores.
Mapimpi is pleased to be able to take advantage of so many possibilities and to help others get those same chances.
Makazole Mapimpi enjoys scoring, but the team is superior.
In only 31 Tests for the Springboks, he has scored 22 tries, but ultimately it is all for the team.
“Scoring tries is something that’s always good for me and it’s something that I’ve been doing a couple of times,” Mapimpi said ahead of the final round of the 2022 Rugby Championship.
“It’s my job to finish up the opportunities that are created for me and I feel that we’ve been creating plenty of them.
“However, it doesn’t matter if it’s a forward or a back, so long as we scored points.”
Mapimpi added that both he and the Springboks as a whole are always eager to learn from their experiences, especially after a topsy-turvy season.
“In a game of rugby, there are things that happen that you don’t see at first, but only pick up when you watch the game in hindsight,” Mapimpi said.
“You look back at those things and look to rectify them as a team. As players, you learn and make mistakes as you go along.
“I guess it depends on how you make your mistakes and how you learn from them.
“I remember the Ellis Park game where against the All Blacks, we didn’t quite do justice to ourselves in the last 10 minutes.
“There were opportunities to score tries in that game and we didn’t finish them off as best as we could.”
On Saturday in Durban, the Springboks and Pumas will play in the last Rugby Championship game of 2022.