Ken Borland

Madosh Tambwe is enjoying a commanding United Rugby Championship campaign on the wing for the Bulls, but is set for a big payday in France with Bordeaux Begles reportedly making a large offer for his services, something the 24-year-old did not wish to comment on on Monday.

While the Kinshasa-born Tambwe is believed to not be eligible for the Springboks because he does not have a South African passport, his performances in the URC have certainly raised questions about whether he could one day play international rugby.

Former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers, who played 15 of his 109 Tests on the wing, says the backing Bulls coach Jake White is giving Tambwe is paying off.

“Madosh is certainly playing well, but he’ll be coming up against the tougher teams now at full-strength. So if he can compete with them and put in good, consistent performances, we could see him stake a claim to step up to international level.

“He’s moved around quite a bit in his career, but we can see at the Bulls the impact a coach who believes in him is having. Madosh is a natural finisher, which is what you want in a wing.

“Look at Makazole Mapimpi: he has the ability to be in the right place and can score tries out of nothing, and I think Madosh could do the same.

“The way he handles the kicking game has been questioned in the past, but he has really improved there and his decision-making in defence has improved too,” De Villiers told The Citizen on Monday.

The 2007 World Cup winner said in order for Tambwe to force his way into a well-stocked Springbok back three, he needs to cut out the little mistakes that are amplified at Test level.

“At national level, you’re looking for a wing who can really limit his mistakes, that and finishing ability really make up the best wingers.

“Madosh just needs to bring his error-rate down a bit, things like losing the ball in contact or being tackled out into touch. But they are small things,” De Villiers said.

The Bulls are apparently willing to let Tambwe go early from his contract, with the compensation they will be paid by Bordeaux allowing the Pretoria franchise to target the signature of the Sharks’ World Cup winning wing Sbu Nkosi.

The Sharks have confirmed an offer from the Bulls is on the table, but “negotiations still have to happen”.

Ex South African Airways CEO and former Vodacom executive Vuyani Jarana has reportedly turned down an offer to be Cricket South Africa’s new chief executive.

Interviews for the permanent chief executive post, that is currently temporarily filled by Pholetsi Moseki, were held two months ago, and it is believed CSA settled on Jarana, a high-powered candidate who has a track record of turning organisations around, as their preferred candidate.

But Jarana has apparently since declined CSA’s offer, sources close to the CSA Board have told The Citizen. The reasons for his withdrawal from contention are not known, but there has been speculation that someone with such a distinguished record in the private sector comes with a price tag that the financially-constrained organisation would not be able to meet.

There has been no official comment from CSA, but Andisa Ntsubane, chairman of the board’s HR committee, told The Citizen on Tuesday that the “search process is still ongoing to find the most ideal candidate to take CSA forward”.

With a new board in place since June and some stability returning to the running of the sport in this country, the appointment of a full-time CEO is one of the last pieces of the puzzle needing to be put in place.

But this delay means CSA will scramble into the new year still searching for their operational leader. The Citizen’s sources have indicated that CSA will restart the whole process of appointing a permanent CEO.

Moseki is well-liked within CSA circles and has done a fine job behind the scenes. But it is believed the Board are trying to find a ‘bigger’ name, a strong character and leader, a captain of industry who will stand up to the directors.

Given how Jarana was willing to lock horns with both government and his own board in trying to turn SAA around before his resignation in May 2019, it is not surprising CSA were going to approach the 51-year-old.