VIDEO: Bittersweet reunion for 'King of Bloemfontein'
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Bulls backline coach Kennedy Tsimba braces himself for a bittersweet reunion when Cheetahs visit Loftus Versfeld on Friday for a Currie Cup Round Three fixture.
Part of the Bulls coaching team, Tsimba is tasked with inflicting on the defending champion Cheetahs their first defeat in the new Currie Cup season.
Tsimba is regarded as one of Zimbabwe’s finest sportsmen.
He played for the Cheetahs and Bulls, producing some stellar performances.
But the dazzling flyhalf reserved his best games for the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs, breaking a Free State record for the most points scored in a season (228), a feat which earned him the Currie Cup Player of the Year award in 2002.
He received the same honour again in 2008 and holds the South African record for the fastest player in first-class history to reach 1,000 points in all competitions.
After retiring Tsimba transitioned into coaching and was appointed an assistant coach at Cheetah’s Super Rugby team in 2011.
However this Friday, ‘he King of Bloemfontein’ – as he was affectionately known – will don the blue as he prepares his troops for the Currie Cup showdown.
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“It’s going to be a bittersweet moment because I’ve never-ever faced them [Cheetahs] before,” said Tsimba.
“So it’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out.
“But it is two sides that are playing good rugby and a lot of questions will be asked. I hope we are on the right side of those questions.”
The Bulls and Cheetahs both head into the contest unbeaten
Cheetahs are top of the table with 10 points, while Bulls are third with nine points after wins over WP and Griffons.
Tsimba said Sunday’s 52-10 win over the Griffons was good for the team’s morale.
The 49-year-old was delighted with the attacking play during the win, which saw the Bulls score eight tries, but warns Cheetahs will be a different beast.
“You get different questions from different teams, so it is a new challenge.
“They [Cheetahs] play a different style and I think it will be good because it challenges us on both sides of the ball.
“We expect them to play to their strength. They have a good forward pack. They also have a good kicking game and the way they manoeuvre their transition play has been impressive.
“So it’s important that we prepared our players for those three elements.”
