For the last year or so the cries of "BEAST" every time Tendai Mtawarira carried the ball into contact (and often through or around contact) has been son ominous with both Natal Sharks and South African Rugby. It seems that no matter where in the world he is, Twickenham, Christ Church or back at ABSA stadium in Durban, the crowd go wild when he gets the ball. The Beast recently opened the eyes of the world by destroying the "raging bull" Phil Vickery at scrum time, but not many people know the remarkable story of Tendai "the Beast" Mtawarira.
It all started 23 years ago in Harare, Zimbabwe where he was born to a "middle class" family along with his beloved brother Brian. Tendai was somewhat troubled in his youth, unbelievably being expelled from his pre-school. His mother Bertha always encouraged Tendai to go to church and be an active member in the Christian community. By the age of 16 however his brothers influence on him took hold. Brain Mtawarira was a good sportsman and student while at school and encouraged his younger brother to follow in his footsteps tutoring him in both maths and rugby. This helped him earn a scholarship to Peterhouse (one of the top schools in Zim) at the age of 17. He went on to achieve A grades in Maths at A-Level. In his final year at Peterhouse he went on a school rugby tour to Durban to play against some of the local schools. By the grace of god some of the Natal Sharks coaching staff where in attendance for one of his games and soon afterwards he was approached by Barry Angus (Sharks conditioning coach at the time). Tendai had grown up as a Sharks supporter so it was a dream come true when he was offered a place at the Sharks academy, he was just 18 years old. He accepted the offer and began his 36 hour bus journey to Durban (only an hour and a half flight, but his family could not afford it at the time). During his time in the academy he also completed a university degree in Cape Town. The Beast got his name while playing no.8 at the Sharks academy for his immense size and speed. However he was soon told by Dick Muir (Sharks coach at the time, now a Boks coach) that he would not make it as an "eighth man" and that he was more suited at loose head prop because of his size. This was devastating for the Beast but after speaking to his family minister he decided to take Muir's advice and switch to the front row. He injured his knee in his first game at loose head and was out of the game for 3 months. Doctors apparently told him that he would be able to run in 8 weeks but the man-mountain couldn't even jog after 10 weeks. His church then invited him to pray with the congregation for his knee, later that afternoon he was running perfectly. Whether by divine power or psychological impact he was able to run, you cannot deny how amazing that was. He marks that as a key milestone in his spiritual journey. He spent hour after hour practicing his technique and it soon became obvious to the sharks coaches that this boy was a natural. A year later, Muir included the Beast in his Sharks training squad, unbelievable seen as he had never packed down at no.1 before that. By 2007 he was a regular in the Sharks Super14 team and in 2008 made his international debut against Wales.
And so began the reign of the BEAST, a name that is already so close to every Springbok rugby fans heart and a name that will live on in history as a true testament to the Zimbabwean warriors that came before him.
MM
Impressive
ReplyDelete