Growing up in Tsholomnqa in the rural Eastern Cape, Makazole Mapimpi’s story is one of unrivalled inspiration. Whilst most professional rugby players receive their first contract as teens, his big break came at only 27-years-old. A stellar 11 tries in 14 starts for the Southern Kings led to selection for South Africa ‘A’, as well as grabbing the attention of the Free State Cheetahs.

The Cheetahs’ style of play proved to be perfectly suited to Mapimpi’s raw speed and ability to make the most of a teammates’ half-break. Ten scores in thirteen appearances led to considerable interest from the Sharks and it wasn’t long before he lit up Super Rugby once more. An inevitable test debut came in 2018 and the following year saw this tenacious finisher score the first try in South Africa’s Rugby World Cup winning campaign. He ended the tournament with six tries and completed the 2019 season with an international record of 14 touchdowns in 14 test matches.