Makazole Mapimpi is relishing his role as a try-scoring machine in the green and gold after dotting down twice in the Springboks' 30-15 win over Scotland at Murrayfield in their penultimate Castle Lager Outgoing Tour match on Saturday.
Making the Bok speedster’s record even more impressive is that he has scored at least one try against every team he has faced since making his Test debut against Wales in 2018.
While these bragging rights may be significant to some, Mapimpi’s view is that he is simply doing his job.
“It’s a good feeling when I have the ball in my hand and I receive opportunities,” said Mapimpi, who has now scored 19 tries in 24 Tests.
“As a team we are constantly seeking opportunities and turnovers that we can capitalise on, and making the most of those is my job.”
Mapimpi's two tries against Scotland - one in the first half and the other in the second - were the Boks' only two tries in a tough Test, and while he was pleased that he could contribute to the victory, he said the players all knew what they had to do in the second half.
“The second half wasn’t easy,” said Mapimpi.
“We received a clear message from the coaches at halftime about what we needed to do and that we had to fix our mistakes."
His second try came after a sublime break and offload from Damian de Allende, on which Mapimpi said: “I didn’t expect the off-load from Damian, so I just wanted to switch on when I received it, and it was awesome (to score the try).”
When quizzed about the focus of the Springbok back three, Mapimpi said: “We are always trying to find opportunities and that is something we have been doing since the Rugby World Cup.
“The key is to try to improve on our execution consistently so that we can spread the ball wide and then to use the opportunities that come our way.”