Tipped by former St Andrew’s College director of rugby Allan Miles as a potential future Springbok, Eastern Province Kings flanker Sintu Manjezi is more than living up to the promise he showed as a schoolboy in Grahamstown.
Tipped by former St Andrew’s College director of rugby Allan Miles as a potential future Springbok, Eastern Province Kings flanker Sintu Manjezi is more than living up to the promise he showed as a schoolboy in Grahamstown.
Standing in for Jeremy Ward as captain during Saturday’s (16 April) away Currie Cup clash with the Boland Cavaliers, the 21-year-old took a big step towards his dream of playing for the Springboks – albeit in a 37-18 loss.
Despite his lofty ambitions for the future, Manjezi also holds fond memories of his past at St Andrew’s – the school he attended from Grade four until his matriculation in 2013.
He reserved special praise for Miles (now Grey High School’s head of rugby and once a Golden Lions coaching co-ordinator and breakdown coach), stating: “He’s always backed me and supported me throughout my rugby career. He’s a very motivated person who doesn’t accept mediocrity. Having someone like that means they’re always going to push you to be your best.”
Miles, who brought Manjezi into the St Andrew’s first XV during his Grade 10 year and picked him as his Eastern Province Country Districts 2013 Craven Week captain, has similarly positive memories of the Kings star.
“He ran our line-out, which was successful. He also made some amazing runs with ball in hand – and I’ll never forget the way he would hand off players that were trying to tackle him,” said Miles – who also credited Manjezi for being effective in the breakdown area despite his height.
Although he acknowledged that he would face stiff competition, Miles backed Manjezi to reach the pinnacle of South African rugby, claiming: “If Sintu keeps focused and is allowed to mature and develop his weak areas [tackling; upper body strength; and bulk], he can become a Bok.”
For now, Manjezi is focused on helping the Kings turn their Currie Cup form around after two defeats – something which he believes the team is already well on their way to achieving.
However, if testimony is anything to go by, then the next few years could see him going significantly further than just the Currie Cup.
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