Fresh off winning the World Rugby U20 Championship with the Junior Springboks, prop Phiwayinkosi "Rambo" Kubheka is set to come off the bench for the Sharks XV against the DHL Stormers XXIII at DHL Stadium on Saturday (15h00).
Kubheka, who captained the Junior Boks in their opening pool match against Uruguay, says the experience has sharpened him physically ahead of the Currie Cup campaign. "The Under-20 level is actually quite similar to the Currie Cup in that regard," he said. "Your body gets used to the collisions and you get exposed to the physicality."
His return to Durban coincides with the arrival of Ma'a Nonu, who is joining the Sharks on a high-performance mentorship programme aimed at accelerating the development of the club's younger players. For Kubheka, the draw is less about Nonu's physical legacy and more about the mental framework underpinning his longevity. "I want to understand how he's been able to keep his mind in equilibrium with his physicality and how he's consistently maintained that mental sharpness over so many years at the top," Kubheka said.