“It was just a moment of weakness – I honestly did not mean any harm.”
Those were the words of Lenro Vergottini, the now famous pitch invader who stole the show after the Springboks vs Argentina rugby test match at a sold-out Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, September 28, when he was tackled hard and had to be carried off the field by paramedics.
Lowvelder had to do some fancy footwork of its own to track down the 33-year-old man from the Western Cape, as he is not on social media and claims to not even have been aware of the hype he had inadvertently created.
The incident, which saw pitch security put through their paces when swarms of exuberant fans ran rampant across the field, was captured on video.
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Various versions of it trended on social media. Pitch invaders flaunted their most impressive evasive footwork, many running circles around pitch security.
All but one were eventually stopped in their tracks, relatively unscathed. Vergottini is the one that nearly got away.
He burst out of the northern corner of the stands opposite the tunnel, weaving his way through at least five lines of defence, all the way across to the southern end of the pitch where his glory run was abruptly ended by a skilled pitch tackler named Thabo Mashego.
While the victorious Boks were enjoying the hard-fought limelight of the trophy ceremony in front of the main stand, stadium crowds released a collective groan as Vergottini was faceplanted in spectacular fashion behind the Boks’ backs.
That was the tackle that captured the imagination of a nation and launched a frantic media manhunt.
The way Vergottini fell and remained still sent the rumour mill into overdrive. Some speculated the pitch invader had suffered a broken neck.
Others said he crushed his shoulder, while others yet said he had died on the field. However, these rumours were debunked as Lowvelder reported on Sunday morning that Vergottini had been treated at the stadium and released without being hospitalised.
The Mpumalanga Department of Health’s spokesperson, Christopher Nobela, said Vergottini was just intoxicated, and that he even asked for his beer after he had been released.
@lowvelder A man who ran onto the pitch at Mbombela Stadium following the end of the Springboks vs Argentina test match was tackled and knocked out by pitch security. The man was escorted off the field by paramedics, before he was treated by the medical staff. #mbombela #mbombelastadium #securitybreach #springboks
Emer-G-Med’s Martin Jeffrey said the fact that Vergottini was intoxicated may explain how he was not injured.
“We often see it in car accidents where the car is a wreck, but occupants survive because they were completely relaxed, not knowing what was coming,” he said.
A happy hooker and his favourite vellies
The Lowveld is very dear to Vergottini, a seasoned club rugby player.
This former Secunda Rugby Club hooker played in the final of the Mpumalanga Club Championships against White River Rugby Club at Mbombela Stadium in 2019.
“I’ve been tackled hard on that field before,” he said.
Vergottini pulled off his impressive run in a pair of slippery, worn-out vellies – his favourite shoes.
Energised by the incredible gees, the braaivleis and a combination of Brutal Fruit and Castle Lager on a hot Lowveld day, Vergottini was heading down to the bottom of the stands to get a selfie or autograph from the Boks when they did their victory lap – something he has done many times before.
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However, he said as he reached the northern corner of the east stand, he noticed swarms of people trying to hop onto the pitch.
He described how he noticed a youngster hesitating in front of him and, caught up in the moment, offered to go with him. But as he jumped over, he realised the other guy had stayed behind.
Vergottini said once he was on the pitch, he realised there was no turning back and he had to follow through.
Running the length of the field, evading consecutive attempts at stopping him, Vergottini said he felt like Grant Williams (the Sharks player with electrifying pace).
“I am a big Boks fan, but had no intention of getting close to them on the field. The vibe was just so great and I felt I had to give something back. It was all done in good fun,” he said.
Having hit his forehead hard on the pitch and nursing a stiff neck, Vergottini commended the Mpumalanga Provincial Government’s paramedics on the impressive service they provided.
“Thank you for taking care of the people who are not taking care of themselves,” he said.
Holding no grudges against Mashego, who brought him down, he commended the pitch tackler on a job well done and apologised to the organisers and stadium management for making their jobs difficult.
He was also grateful that he had managed to hang on to his prized Daan Human cap, and that he had given his cellphone to a friend in the stands before jumping onto the field.
Tackler Mashego scores Spanish tour slot
The tackle of the day did not belong to the Boks or Argentina, but to pitch tackler Thabo Mashego, the 20-year-old White River Rugby Club blind-side flanker who brought down Vergottini.
“When he wasn’t moving, I was worried. I was relieved to find out the next morning that he was OK and even asked for a beer when the medics cleared him,” said Mashego.
His solid effort not only earned him a handshake and congrats from Springbok fly half Manie Libbok, but also an invitation to join the New Beginning Sport December tour to Spain.
The purpose of the tour is to give exposure to promising young talent and the opportunity to possibly get signed to a Spanish club.
Mashego, who matriculated from Rob Ferreira High School last year, is working as an intern at NTT Toyota White River while awaiting acceptance to the University of Johannesburg (UJ) where he hopes to pursue a BCom degree in transport and logistics management.
He chose UJ for its proximity to the Lions and Bulls rugby unions, through which he hopes to secure a career as a professional rugby player – that is if he does not get scooped up in Spain.
Reliving Saturday’s experience, Mashego said he has was acting on pure adrenaline. Ironically, knowing he was a hard tackler, one of his friends egged him on to go get a big tackle as people started running onto to pitch.
Being up close to the players on the field was an inspirational experience for Mashego.
“Especially hearing the [impact of] hard tackles and big hits as well as the small talk between the players,” he said.
While his favourite player is Jasper Wiese, the player he would least like to be tackled by is, without a doubt, Kwagga Smith.
“He smashes people,” said Mashego of the impact player whose ability to change the game and make big tackles and turnovers he admires.
Stadium management issues strong warning
Mbombela stadium manager Roelf Kotze strongly condemned Saturday’s mass pitch invasion.
Although nobody was banned from the stadium, he issued a stern warning that future pitch invaders might be criminally charged with trespassing and will spend a night behind bars. This, he said, was to safeguard international players and coaches.
“It is totally unacceptable. We don’t know the intentions of people running onto the field. We don’t know if they have ill intentions of tackling a player, a coach or the minister of sport. We cannot assume that everyone who runs onto the filed is just showing off. If we want to host the highest level games in Mbombela, we have to meet international standards,” said Kotze.
Pitch invaders could also be seriously injured by pitch tacklers doing their jobs.
Mbombela Stadium was specifically designed to be intimate with spectators seated as close as possible to the players. Kotze said this created a fantastic energy that spilled over to the players.
However, he said if people can’t behave themselves, nets will have to be put up to keep them off the pitch – as is often done at soccer games. These safety measures not only diminishes spectators’ view, but also takes away the magic of being close to one’s heroes.
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