Southdowns’ turn to lose a top player

Little private school Southdowns, who play in the Beeld Trofee competition for small schools, has built up a bit of a reputation over the last few years for “acquiring” top school players from prominent Border high schools. Now it’s their turn to experience what it’s like to lose a promising youngster.

Kwezi Mafu, a highly rated loose-forward who represented the Blue Bulls under-16 team at Grant Khomo Week in 2013 and in 2014, has left Southdowns College in Centurion, Pretoria to join Grey High School in Port Elizabeth.

Mafu arrived at Southdowns from Dale College in King William’s Town, Eastern Cape a few years ago. It looked like he was certain to feature in the Bulls’ future plans and be offered a Bulls contract for rugby after school once he turned 18. However with the Kings having been confirmed as a new Super Rugby franchise for 2016 and with their under-19 and under-21 teams competing at the top level in SA, Port Elizabeth is quickly closing the gap on the bigger unions with regards to attractive destinations for youngsters who hope to turn pro.

The Southdowns 2014 headboy Aston Fortuin, became his school’s highest profile school rugby player after he went on to play for the South African Schools under-18 team in internationals during September 2014. Fortuin had risen to prominence and even made the SA under-16 High Performance squad in 2012 while at Queens College in Queenstown, Eastern Cape before moving to Southdowns.

In spite of his achievements, nothing will be handed to Mafu on a plate at Grey. Surprisingly his conditioning was below the acceptable standard at their pre-Christmas training camp, so he has his work cut out to get back into peak condition. He is in good hands though.

Apart from Mafu, Grey High’s other significant new faces are highly rated centre Josiah Twum-Boafo from Graeme College in Grahamstown. who represented the EP Country Districts under-18 team at Craven Week 2014 and hooker Siwe Masoziwe from Newton Technical who played for EP at Academy Week in 2014.