COMING from a region that rarely produces Springboks, let alone black African ones, Sharks loose forward Phendulani ‘Phepsi’ Buthelezi’s Springbok debut against Portugal in Bloemfontein yesterday should be celebrated, not only by his family but by the whole Zululand region.
Buthelezi, 25, hails from Hluhluwe, a small town in northern Zululand renowned for its wealth of wildlife.
The only other Springboks from northern KwaZulu-Natal who come to mind are former Bulls utility back Ruan Combrinck, who hails from Vryheid, and two-time Rugby World Cup winning prop Vincent Koch.
Combrinck played seven Tests for the Springboks with his debut coming in 2016 when he scored a try and took the Player of the Match award.
Koch is among the best front-rowers of this generation and currently shares a dressing room with Buthelezi at the Sharks.
All three Springboks, as much as they were born in northern KZN, were schooled far from their homelands: Buthelezi is a Durban High School old boy, Koch is a Huguenot High School (Boland) alum, and Combrinck completed his schooling at Michaelhouse (KZN Midlands).
Nonetheless, with Buthelezi, home (Hluhluwe) is where his first call went after being told that he would debut for the world champions in Bloemfontein.
“When we were told (a day before this interview), I wasted no time calling my family,” beamed Buthelezi.
“This means a lot to my family as I am the first in the family to be a Springbok. So yes, it really means a lot, this is a great opportunity.
“I trust that they adhered to my advice that they shouldn’t tell anyone about it (until the official squad announcement on Tuesday) but they were ecstatic. I think my mother even cried when she heard the news. This means a lot to her.
“Unfortunately, my father is late but I am sure wherever he is, he is overjoyed. My father’s name was Simon Butheleni, he passed on in 2008.”
Even with Buthelezi only making his debut yesterday, in the one-off Test against Portugal, his family, like most South Africans, are already diehard fans of the Green and Gold.
“The Springboks are a very loved team at home,” the former Baby Boks captain recounts.
“I recall during the World Cup, my mother would be very happy (when the Boks played). She ended up knowing all the players, she became a big fan of (Handre) Pollard, she would say, ‘Pollard doesn’t miss’.
“To her and the whole family, this is a very exciting and big weekend. They will be (were) at the game as the Buthelezi family.”
Talking about life as a Springbok, Buthelezi said: “All the players in the squad have already really helped me a lot, especially Siya (Kolisi), Kwagga (Smith) and Marco van Staden. They’ve actually had a sit-down with me and explained everything that I believe I need to know.
“It is now up to me to bring my own energy. I really like playing in front of a big crowd. We all understand the magnitude of being a Springbok, that the way we play brings joy to the people.
“To the youth, I’d like them to keep believing that their dreams will come true if they allow themselves to dream and work hard on those dreams every day when they wake up.”
Like Combrinck, Buthelezi also scored his first Bok try yesterday on his debut as they beat Portugal 64-21.