Alex’s rugby star in the making
ALEXANDRA – On his personal development, Junior says he would like to play professional rugby one day and represent his country.
There is a rugby star player in the making in Alexandra and he goes by the name of Junior Mpanza.
The 15-year-old Junior is a Grade 10 learner at East Bank High School and has been playing rugby since the age 12 for Alex Wolves. He now plays for the U16 side of Alex Wolves which is an affiliate of the Gauteng Lions Rugby Union.
Junior has been selected to represent Gauteng province in the U16 Sevens Rugby Tournament to be held at Wits University from December 15 to 20. The tournament will include all the nine provinces.
Speaking in an interview with Alex News, Junior said one of his ambitions was to help other youngsters who aspired to play rugby to ensure they achieved their dreams in the same way he had been helped this far.
“For my personal development in rugby, I would like to see myself playing professional rugby one day and end up representing my country as a Springbok player,” said Junior adding that Bok captain Siya Kolisi was his role model.
Kolisi made history by becoming the first African player to captain the Boks and also become the first African captain to win the Rugby World Cup in 2019, in the Boks’ 126-year history.
