Bok newcomer Vincent Tshituka to finally realise rugby dream: ‘Green and Gold is everything’

Vincent Tshituka just wanted to be in the race, and now he is finally approaching the finish line. He’s set to realise his dream of playing for the Springboks in Saturday’s first international of the season when the world champions clash with the Barbarians in Cape Town.

The match is not an official Test and he won’t win a first cap, but it should be the start of a Bok career that was probably delayed by a few years due to circumstances out of the big flanker’s control.

Ever since his impressive performances for the Lions a few years ago, before he moved to the Sharks and continued his fine form, there had been rumblings about the Democratic Republic of Congo born Tshituka donning the green and gold.

But over the past few years he has been in a long running saga to obtain South African citizenship, despite having lived in the country since he was four, and once he finally achieved that it was then about receiving his passport, which finally made him eligible to be selected for the Boks.

The 26-year-old has thus finally gotten out of the starting blocks and will hope to make a big impact in his first outing for the national team over the weekend.

Getting the passport

“It was something I tried to get for quite a while, and everybody asked me that question. My response was always, ‘getting the passport doesn’t put me in the squad, there’s still a selection process’,” said Tshituka at the team announcement on Tuesday when asked about his journey.

“After a good season, people were saying, ‘Ja, you’re going to play for the Springboks, you’re going to make it’. But that was always the best-case scenario for me, and I tried to put it on the back burner.

“For me, it was just, let me get the passport, let me be eligible to be in the race (to be selected), because without it, I was never in the race. I felt like that was just the ticket to participate, and then being selected for a Test match is winning a medal.”

Although his first assignment for the Boks is to front up against some recent legends of the game, who are coming towards the end of their careers, Tshituka hasn’t really focused on the Barbarians too much, but more on himself.

“To be honest with you, I haven’t even thought about the players I’m facing. No disrespect to them and how they are feeling ahead of this game, but I must still take in how I feel and what I am going through,” he explained.

“My moment is where I want to be present, and I will keep my mind focused on that. It will be an emotional game for them (the Barbarians players), because it is at the back end of their careers. However, I must get over the emotion and get stuck in.

“The Green and Gold is everything to me and my family, who have supported me along this journey. That is already a big enough occasion.”