Maponyane turns pro for a day on epic Vodacom Red rugby tour

Mar 29 • General News • 1242 Views • Comments Off on Maponyane turns pro for a day on epic Vodacom Red rugby tour

Vodacom Bulls coach John Mitchell called for silence in the changeroom. It was about 20 minutes to kickoff in their match against the Crusaders in Christchurch. “We have come to a place of arrogance and no respect,” said Mitchell. Outside it started to rain. The tension in the changeroom was as tight as the strapping on Lood de Jager’s knees. And in the corner sat TV personality Maps Maponyane – kit on, boots on, and about to get as close to being a professional rugby player as he’d ever been.

“This has been pretty special,” said Maponyane as he reflected on being part of the Vodacom Bulls team during the #BullsRedTour. The tour formed part of Vodacom Red’s reward for 20 of its leading customers to travel to Christchurch to watch the Vodacom Bulls and then Sydney for a three-day tour of the city.

It was a tour that underlined the “Expect More” campaign of Vodacom Red, and it didn’t disappoint, beginning with business class flights on Emirates and including a range of activities and experiences that Maponyane described as one of the best such tours he’s ever been privileged to be a part of.

“It was a priceless experience with Vodacom Red and I definitely love what they offer their customers in this sense. The trips I’ve had with other brands, this is definitely one of the most memorable,” he said.

“It was a lot of fun at every point of interaction we had with the brand. From how they looked after us on our business class flights with Emirates to making sure that we were catered for in every part of our trip – nothing was overlooked or taken for granted.”

But the highlight for this fitness and sports fanatic was being a member of the Vodacom Bulls team as they prepared for the Crusaders game, and even during the match itself.

“I trained with the players in the gym in Christchurch and then headed to the stadium on the bus with the players – in my kit, headphones on like them and feeling all professional. And then getting to the stadium and being on the field and warming up with them before the start of the game was priceless.

“I was privileged to be in the changeroom and feel the atmosphere and see the amount of preparation that goes into it all. I sat on the bench during the match and really felt totally part of the team. There was a point where I genuinely thought I could get a run I was so in it. I was flexing my neck back and forth and was ready for it. But unfortunately for me Handré Pollard didn’t pull a hamstring.”

The trip certainly exceeded the expectations of even Maponyane, starting with this being his first visit to New Zealand and Australia.

“This was my first time down that side of the world, so seeing both these big sporting nations was fun. Coming to Sydney and staying at the Four Seasons Hotel with a spectacular view overlooking the harbour and the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Bridge was amazing.

“And then going through Sydney on a Harley Davidson city tour was great fun. It was a way I’ve never done any city before. Seeing the Sydney Opera House during the night and climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge – it was all an awesome experience, lots of fun and full of all sorts of surprises. This was really a trip that money can’t buy, and the opportunities I had were special.”

Former Radio 702 talk show host John Robbie was also on the tour and declared, “They said that this was the trip of a lifetime, and I can tell you it was.”

Or as Maponyane put it when he climbed off his Harley Davidson after the fleet had rumbled into spectacular Manly Beach, “Vodacom Red – what a ride it’s been”.