‘Feels funny playing against Welwitschias’

On the Leopards bench, one player will be especially eager to make an impression on the Namibian coaches Chrysander Botha and Allister Coetzee during tomorrow’s Mzansi Challenge match against the Welwitschias in Walvis Bay.

The Namibian-born prop Haitembu Shikufa weighs in at 117 kg and is also known by nicknames such as Jumbo and Rambo.

Haitembu, who turns 25 later this month, told the newspaper that he started rugby as a 13-year-old in Jan Möhr High School and made the first team in grade 10, before moving to Gaborone with his parents and matriculating there.

His school, Livingstone Kolobeng College, played rugby and he even went on a tour to Wales with them, while he also played club rugby in Botswana.

In 2018 he returned to Windhoek and joined Western Suburbs. During Lyn Jones’ coaching stint he trained with the Welwitschias as a youngster and was included in the tough assignment against the Pumas in Mbombela, where he took a lot from the experience.

“I learnt much from the senior guys like Jason Benade, who is still playing, and Hauta Veii at the time.

Accepted at North West University, he enjoyed hostel rugby in his first year (2019) until being noticed and offered an U21 contract at Pukke, joining up with the Varsity Cup squad and breaking into the senior Leopards for the Currie Cup first division.

“I got many opportunities, which I have taken with both hands. Playing against the Welwitschias is such a funny and ironic feeling for me. I have always dreamt of wearing the national blue jerseys – but have fallen just short so many times, not making selection from U16 Grant Khomo Week, to Namibia U20 and U20.

“I really want to put my hand up and put my name into the conversation for Namibian selection with a view to the Rugby World Cup and to become involved,” says Haitembu, who is able to scrum both at loosehead and tighthead.