Cape Town – Jake White seems resigned to losing Bulls wing Madosh Tambwe at the end of the season, but he is not giving up without a fight.
Tambwe again made everybody sit up and take notice with another top display for the Bulls in their 34-16 United Rugby Championship bonus-point victory over Ulster at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The 24-year-old No 11 was his usual busy self, but the highlight of a typically high-octane performance was the try he scored in the second half.
With the score at 13-9 to the Bulls, Tambwe received a pass from centre Harold Vorster, with the ball being touched by Ulster wing Ben Moxham.
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But that didn’t bother Tambwe, who grabbed the ball at full tilt outside the visitors’ 22 and motored towards the tryline.
Ulster fullback Mike Lowry came across in cover defence and forced him closer to the touchline, but just when it looked like Tambwe was going to be tackled into touch, he shifted the ball into his left hand and somehow managed to hold off Lowry and twist his way over the whitewash.
It was a superb finish that Springbok star Makazole Mapimpi typically dishes up, and raised Tambwe’s stock further in his bid for national selection.
But the former Lions and Sharks flyer has been linked with a move away from Loftus Versfeld at the end of June. French media reported recently that he is being courted by Bordeaux Begles as a replacement for New Zealand powerhouse Ben Lam, who is set to join Montpellier.
White, though, is still hoping to convince Tambwe to stick with the Bulls.
“I think the more we win, the more he probably wants to stay, which is fantastic. He is playing phenomenal rugby. I think he has a desire to be a Springbok, and it is what it is,” the Bulls director of rugby said.
“Obviously I would like to keep him, and we’ve been negotiating, but I think if he has committed, then obviously we are going to lose him.
“He is a very good case for me. He came here from the Sharks – he wasn’t the preferred starter there… he was kept out. Now all of a sudden, people are talking about him, the team enjoys him being around, and he gives us confidence because he can finish.
#BULvULS
FT: If there was one thing the 19 436 fans who came out today deserved, it was a Vodacom Bulls win.
The boys delivered. Against a tough Ulster side, we claim a 34-16 win at Loftus. Take a bow, South Africa#Loftus25K #TrueToTheBlue @Vodacom #URC @URCOfficial_RSA pic.twitter.com/Wif5LeKpwZ
“I am just hoping if he is going to leave, we get the best out of him between now and the next couple of months before he heads off.”
Tambwe will face another serious test of his credentials when he goes head-to-head with Seabelo Senatla on Saturday, when the Bulls take on the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium (2pm kickoff).
“I am so excited because we get to play them in Cape Town. Hopefully it’s a full-house crowd, and then we get back to those old glory days in South Africa. It felt a bit like that today… When I got here, the atmosphere and having the Bulle ondersteuners here,” White said.
“People have come from far: people have come from Letaba, from Tzaneen, Groblersdal and Limpopo. Hopefully we will get that. I’d like all the Bulls supporters to come down to Cape Town, and show their support to our team.”