10 Things You Didn’t Know About Tendai Mtawarira

Off the field he’s completely the opposite of what you get on it. Between the four white lines, he uses his powerful 120kg physique to steamroller opponents in the scrums and, when he gets the chance, in loose play. His facial expression the moment before he hits into his opponent at scrum time is enough to scare anyone, but away from the action he’s soft-spoken and extremely humble. Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about this gentle beast.

1. His nickname is Beast I got it when I was about nine years old. My best mate gave me the name. I was a bit bigger than most guys of our age and a bit of a bully and, I suppose, a naughty child. He just called me ‘Beast’ one day

2. He’s from Harare, Zimbabwe

3. Mtawarira attended Churchill Boys High School for 5 years

4. He received a scholarship and attended Peterhouse Group of Boarding Schools in Marondera in Zimbabwe

5. A few years back, his citizenship was a minor political issue in the country. In January 2010, Buthana Komphela, an ANC member of the National Assembly and chair of its sports committee, publicly threatened to charge the South African Rugby Union (SARU) with “illegally” fielding Mtawarira and have him deported to Zimbabwe.

6. The highlight of Mtawarira’s career to date came in the first test of the British and Irish Lions Tour in 2009

7. In his spare time, Mtawarira the beach, movies, and spending time in the bush

8. His favourite Kitchen cupboard treats is Jelly Jubes

9. His guilty pleasure is dessert especially chocolate brownies, although he’s not supposed to have it

10. “You have to fight for what you want; you have to be prepared to die for what you believe in,” is Mtawarira’s philosophy of life