UMDLALI waphambili weHollywoodbets Sharks, uPhendulani “Phepsi” Buthelezi, ungomunye wabadlali abayisikhombisa abozodlala okokuqala eqenjini elikhulu lamaBhokobhoko uma selibhekene nePortugal ngoMgqibelo.
Lo mdlalo ozobanjelwa eToyota Stadium, eBloemfontein, uzoqala ngo-5 ntambama.
Umqeqeshi wamaBhokobhoko, uRassie Erasmus, wakubeka kwacaca ngemuva kokunqotshwa yi-Ireland ngoMgqibelo odlule, ukuthi bazokwenza inqwaba yezinguquko eqenjini elizodudulana nePortugal.
Ushintshe abangu-14 kuleli eliqale umdlalo wesibili ne-Ireland. UKurt-Lee Arendse uyena kuphela oqalile ngoMgqibelo odlule ozophinde aqale.
Abanye abaqala ebhentshini ngesikhathi amaBhokobhoko ebhekene ne-Ireland, uSalmaan Moerat noRG Snyman, bazowuqala umdlalo kulokhu. USacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu uzophinde aqale ebhentshini.
UMoerat uyena ozohola iqembu. Ungumdlali ka-66 emlandweni ukunikwa ithuba lokuba ngukaputeni wamaBhokobhoko.
Ngaphandle kukaButhelezi, abanye abazobe bedlala okokuqala eqenjini lesizwe elikhulu nguJohan Grobbelaar, noJan-Hendrik Wessels, nabo abazowuqala umdlalo. U-Andre-Hugo Venter, Ruan Venter, Morne van der Berg noQuan Horn basethubeni lokungena beqhamuka ebhentshini.
“IPortugal iyiqembu elisezingeni njengoba siyibonile inqoba iFiji eNdebeni yoMhlaba, yaphinde yadlala ngokulingana neGeorgia ngo 18-18. Bekusemqoka ukuthi sikhethe iqembu eliqinile, elihlanganise abadlali abanamava siphinde sinike nabanye abasha amathuba.”
UButhelezi odabuka eHluhluwe, waqala ukudlala umbhoxo esafunda emabangeni aphansi esikoleni iHluhluwe Primary. Wathola umfundaze eDurban High School lapho afike aqokwa khona njengokaputeni weqembu lombhoxo.
Useke wadlalela iqembu leSouth African Schools waphinde waba ngukaputeni weqembu lesizwe lika-Under-20.
Uqale ukudlalela iqembu elincane leSharks ngo-2014, wadlala okokuqala kwelikhulu ngo-2019. Ngo-2021, waqokwa njengokaputeni weqembu elaligijima kwiCarling Currie Cup.
Iqembu lamaBhokobhoko elizobhekana nePortugal:
Abazoqala: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 RG Snyman, 4 Salmaan Moerat (ukaputeni), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Abasebhentshini: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Ruan Venter, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Morné van den Berg, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Quan Horn.