RUGBY: Kings dynamos ‘A’ for away

Former Border rugby stars Lionel Cronje and Makazole Mapimpi head into arguably the biggest match of their careers as they line up for the South African ‘A’ team when they head into battle against the French Barbarians at the Moses Mabida Stadium in Durban tomorrow night.

Southern Kings stars Cronje and Mapimpi will start at flyhalf and left wing respectively, while flank Andisa Ntsila will most likely make an appearance off the bench.

Another Kings player, Chris Cloete, would most likely also have been in the mix.

However, he is busy serving a one-match suspension and will only be available for next week’s clash at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.

“The four of us have been the fortunate guys to have been selected from a really strong squad at the Kings that have worked very hard this season,” said Cronje.

Mapimpi last year was playing rugby for the Border Bulldogs, and it has been a a meteoric rise for the flying winger as he made his Kings debut at the start of the season, having signed to join the Cheetahs a few months ago.

And now he will be putting on the Green and Gold and looking to impress for the SA ‘A’ team.

“I am very excited to have been named in the starting XV for the SA ‘A’ team. I would love to one day play for the Springboks but I am not in a hurry,” said Mapimpi.

Mapimpi has been in great try-scoring form for the Kings and he now has the perfect chance to give the Springbok selectors something to think about should he enhance his reputation in the match.

“I believe the time has not come yet to play for the Springboks. The call-up will happen at the right time but for now, I am fully concentrating on the SA ‘A’ team and the game against France,” Mapimpi told the Dispatch.

“I am confident that we will win against France because we have a good bunch of players that are determined to represent the country well.”

For Cronje it has been a long and hard road, with the journeyman having played for most of the top teams in the country and even moved to Australia without receiving a fair run in any of the teams.

However, his career has been re-ignited after being pulled into the Kings set-up and he has played a starring role in their impressive season to date, while he has even become their captain.

“I am really excited. It is going to be a really good opportunity for some of us to play at a higher level and we are looking forward to it,” said Cronje.

“I have always believed that I could make the step up, although I still have not jumped over that last hurdle of becoming a Springbok, so this is definitely a step in the right direction and I am really psyched to take on the French Barbarians over the next two weeks.”

It is an experienced SA ‘A’ team that has been named, with seven Springboks named in the match 23.

Juan de Jongh is the most capped Bok with 19, and will captain the team, with fellow Springboks Lwazi Mvovo (17 Tests), Ruan Combrinck (7 Tests), Jano Vermaak (3 Tests) and Uzair Cassiem (1 Test) in the run-on team, while Trevor Nyakane (28 Tests) and Francois Venter (3 Tests) will play off the bench.

Springbok starting team: Lwazi Mvovo; Ruan Combrinck, Juan de Jongh, Harold Vorster, Makazole Mapimpi; Lionel Cronje, Jano Vermaak; Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Ruan Ackermann, Uzair Cassiem, Ruan Botha, Andries Ferreira, Wilco Louw, Franco Marais, Thomas du Toit

Reserves: Ramone Samuels, Ox Nche, Trevor Nyakane, Jason Jenkins, Andisa Ntsila, Dewaldt Duvenage, Fred Zeilinga, Francois Venter.