Phiwe Nomlomo said loose forward Mpilo Gumede has done his Springbok aspirations a world of good with another standout performance for the Vodacom Bulls.
Gumede, who can play across the back row, scored his fourth try of the 2024 Currie Cup to help the Bulls beat the Cheetahs in Pretoria on Friday.
The uncapped 24-year-old attended the last Bok alignment camp in April, and was part of the training squad in the buildup to the July 22 Test against Wales.
A 30-man squad will assemble in Joburg next week for the Rugby Championship. Asked post-match at Loftus Versfeld on Friday if the Bulls are concerned that Rassie Erasmus might call up Gumede, a half-jokingly Nomlomo replied: “I’m afraid they might not!
“That’s what we coach for; we want to see guys obviously get to the highest tier they can possibly get to, and he’s got massive aspirations and ambitions and that’s what we want.
“So the more he puts out performances like this the better it is for us, the better it is for him, and obviously the better it is for the country.”
Henry Immelman notched a brace of tries in his first appearance in the Currie Cup this season, but the winger joined fullback Devon Williams on the list of questionables who will be available to host DHL Western Province next Saturday.
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“It’s a pity man, because as soon as he got going… he had a good game and then that hamstring bugged him again so I hope it’s nothing serious,” the head coach said.
“[Williams] tweaked a bit of a hammy as well but he finished the game. We’ll have a look at it and see what’s going on.”
The Bulls converted a 17-6 half-time lead into a 25-13 victory over the defending champions in the SA capital, extending their impressive start to rugby’s oldest tournament to three wins, but left a few tries out on the field after creating several scoring chances.
“Every point counts, we all know that, but the most important thing was making a good start at home and we achieved that. This was a classy Cheetahs side and it wasn’t going to be easy,” Nomlomo said..
“But we’re in a good place and if we’re feeling the way we’re feeling after a win against the Cheetahs, it’s not a bad place to be in.
“We’re just going to have to convert those [opportunities] and become the ruthless team that we want to be. The beauty is we are scoring tries when we get into [the 22] and it’s once or twice when we’re not.
“It’s about exercising patience and calm, and we’re getting there because we’re playing well and know exactly what we’re supposed to do. Once we get that right we’re going to bury some teams, that’s for sure.”
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