Mihlali Bam says he is full of confidence that FNB TUT will surprise a few teams in the 2024 FNB Varsity Shield competition.
“I expect a lot of the teams to bring their A-game when they (face) us. I believe being labelled the underdogs will work in our favour. We still have a big point to prove as to how we can match up to our expectations or how we perform looking at how we did last year.”
The utility back says he’d rather forget last year’s campaign for a variety of reasons.
“My debut wasn’t the greatest and I think I had one of the worst seasons of my life. Coach Kennedy Tsimba picked it up and kept asking what was going on. I was not really in the right space, I felt like the missing link in the team. I also tore two ligaments on my ankle shortly after the season. I was going through a lot emotionally, and I felt misunderstood, there were times I felt like quitting rugby altogether.”
This year it is a different story though, says Bam.
“I believe I have brought a sense of calm and belief to the players now, that is the impact I have had, to make them believe that at TUT they have everything. (Also), I play a lot of positions but whenever I play at flyhalf I have a good sense of controlling the game.”
Rugby has opened the door to a wealth of opportunities for players to overturn their unfortunate situations into favourable ones. The former Southdowns College pupil sees the Varsity Shield as a competitive competition that does just that.
“I would like to play for the Springboks, but now the focus is playing good rugby and earning a contract at any of the provincial teams. Coaching is something I have taken a liking to as well, I had short stints of coaching at UJ Trinity House. I also assisted in coaching at Pretoria Boys High.”
by Lehlogonolo Ditshego
