Makazole Mapimpi transfer story: Sharks take action

The Sharks are closing in on a deal that will keep Springboks winger Makazole Mapimpi in Durban when his contract with the United Rugby Championship side runs out at the end of this season. The 34-year-old, who in 2019 became the first South African to score a try in a Rugby World Cup final, has been linked with a switch to the Top 14 next season, where La Rochelle had expressed an interest in signing him.

The two-time European champions, who are based in the Bay of Biscay, are looking to replace another Springbok, the Ghana-born Raymond Rhule who only made two appearances last season through injury.

La Rochelle boss Ronan O’Gara enquired about Mapimpi, who has won back-to-back World Cups, but it appears that he is in the final stages of doing a deal that will almost certainly see him finishing his career with the Sharks.

Mapimpi, who played for the Border Bulldogs, Southern Kings and Cheetahs before linking up with the Sharks seven years ago, has scored 36 tries in 78 games for the club.

He also had a spell with NTT Red Hurricanes in Japan and has scored 30 tries in 44 appearances for his country, his most recent cap coming in last weekend's 28-29 loss to Argentina in Santiago del Estero.

Mapimpi earlier this summer told RugbyPass that he never thought he would have achieved everything in his career that he has and has to pinch himself. “It’s a lot when I think about it sometimes. Jeez, I can say that it’s a lot. My life is somewhere I never thought it would be.

“When you are from the rural villages, it’s hard to see yourself achieving big things. Everyone has dreams. But to actually believe deep down that you will achieve them is not something that feels natural. You have to tell yourself lies sometimes,” he said.