Frederick Malgas shining on debut for FNB UKZN

Impressive FNB UKZN debutant, Frederick Malgas, has had a start to remember so far in his first FNB Varsity Shield season. The Impi inside centre has excelled from day one of the competition and has earned himself two FNB Player that Rocks accolades after his displays against FNB SPU and also against FNB UFH in Alice.

Malgas has praised the FNB UKZN IMPI culture’s energy, mentioning how their big results have come from zooming into the finer details and execution.

“The IMPI culture has been something new for me… being part of the team and experiencing the culture first hand is a different type of energy. More often, the talk is all about detail and execution.” 

“The small detail makes a big difference come game day when the stakes are the highest. We always pay attention to detail and execution of what we've been working on for the past few months” said the 24-year-old Impi player.

“The intensity at which you train and receive info is quite fast. So you have to be able to adapt on demand also with that, be able to deliver each week” he added.

With previous experience in the FNB Varsity Cup Young Guns, Malgas has been oozing with confidence in his playing style, demonstrating the impact of how the FNB Varsity Cup brand as a whole, including Shield and Young Guns, contributes in building the next generation of rugby players in South Africa.

“I count myself lucky to be where I am right now… I played at UP-Tuks for one year back in 2022. We won the Young Guns competition, only losing one group stage game to NWU; eventually winning against them in the final and we also won the Varsity Cup.”

“The intensity of each training session was harder than the match itself because I was also part of the Varsity Cup squad and had to train with them every time. I was on the bench the opening game against FNB UCT Ikeys but never made my debut which made me believe I had the potential to play Varsity Cup” said the youngster born in Kraaifontein.

With four matches into the season, IMPI have won two matches and lost the other two games.

Frederick Malgas has backed his team’s preparations, emphasising the importance of recovery at this stage of the competition.

“Our preparations for Shield started last year October, and we had camp since the 5th of January. The excitement and eagerness have been up there. But now, since we are deep in the competition, it's all about recovery and how we prepare for the next game”

By: Mpendulo Letsoalo