Grahamstown resident Unathi Kongwana would marry a rugby ball if only it were legal.
Grahamstown resident Unathi Kongwana would marry a rugby ball if only it were legal.
He has an insatiable hunger for the game and is involved at various levels and tournaments. Kongwana has been named as part of the 2014/15 Lowestoft & Yarmouth Rugby Football Club and leaves today Friday 5 September for Lowestoft, England.
Kongwana joins the side’s back line as they begin their campaign in the London 3 Level in the hope that he can bring an exciting edge to the club’s arsenal. The side has not enjoyed a successful season, denoted by their loss in their promotion/relegation match against Braintree XV.
Kongwana stands at a diminutive 165cm, and will consider himself lucky if he tips the scales at 80kg. He has, however, been hailed by the Grahamstown’s general rugby community as a hero. His recent record speaks for itself and he can slip into any position to wreak havoc on opposition defence.
He prefers to let his performances at practices and games do the talking. He is known for his friendly disposition in the social scene, and it's said that the only time he frowns is when it gets too dark for him to actually see his beloved rugby ball.
His greatest shining moment came last year, when he played for the Eastern Province Kings in the National Sevens Tournament.
The men’s side were beaten 19-5 by the Leopards in the semi-finals. Based on this success he was selected for the 2014/15 EP Kings’ Vodacom Cup 15’s squad.
Kongwana has had thorough involvement with the Nathaniel Nyaluza 1st XV as co-head coach over the years. That the ‘Nyasas’ have lost only one game this season, shows his valuable rugby knowledge from a coaching and tactical perspective. Kongwana played for Bombers RFC for the past two seasons.
Bombers RFC is a Port Elizabeth-based team which was placed tenth out of 12 teams in the Grand Challenge League this year.
The Grand Challenge is the Eastern Cape Rugby’s premier division.
“I didn’t play in the Bombers’ last four matches [but]our team definitely had the talent to be placed higher in the league,” Kongwana said about the cruelty of points-table format competitions.
For the past two seasons, Kongwana has played for Dream Team, a social side in the Rhodes Rugby Internal League. He rocks up to every practice with a bright smile and cheeky laugh. But come game day, it’s like watching a bouncy ball being thrown around a small room.
It can be presumed that this is his temperament with his other sides, too.
“Unathi is a talented young man with the potential to do great things. He is focused, motivated and determined to succeed in life. He exemplifies what it means to turns adversity into triumph,” said Kaizer Tabane, fellow Dream Team-mate.
“He is the life of any party.” Unathi’s presence will be sorely missed by many as he departs for the northern hemisphere’s autumnal season later today.
