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Cape Town - Makazole Mapimpi's stunning Springbok try-scoring spree has continued at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, where he has crossed the whitewash five times to date in the tournament.
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It means the 29-year-old wing is the joint-leading try-scorer alongside Wales' Josh Adams and Japan's SA-born flyer, Kotaro Matsushima.
Heading into Sunday's semi-final against Wales in Yokohama, Mapimpi boasts 13 tries from his 12 Tests in Bok colours.
"If you look at Makazole’s past two to three years in Super Rugby and PRO14, he has always been one of the best finishers in the game," Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said on Wednesday.
"When he played for the Southern Kings, he managed to score tries in a losing side. When he went to the Cheetahs, he did the same thing, and at the Sharks, he is one of their best finishers."
Stick added that work had been done on getting Mapimpi into space against the bigger sides in world rugby, pointing to the 23-13 loss to the All Blacks in South Africa's tournament opener as an example of a day when things did not go according to plan.
"We were guilty in that New Zealand game for not really converting the possession we had into points. Using the ball in the wider channels was also something we didn’t do in that game," he said.
"That was a big work-on for us going forward in the World Cup, and in a couple of games where we did have opportunities - and the contestable kicking game creates opportunities - you might get Makazole running against a forward, or a 20-metre space to run into.
"Hopefully this week, they will get some opportunities."
Kick-off on Sunday is at 11:00 (SA time).
- Compiled by Lloyd Burnard
