Mapimpi flying under the radar as Springbok gameplan continues to take shots

• Springbok wing Makazole Mapimpi has been happy to operate quietly while the Springbok attacking game has been widely criticised.
• Mapimpi scored the first try in the second Test of the British & Irish Lions series, a game the Boks went on to win.
• Mapimpi will be playing in his 17th Test when the Boks face Argentina at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday.

In the maelstrom of the Springboks' attacking game being panned by all and sundry, it's gone under the radar that the likes of Makazole Mapimpi are the ones scoring tries.

In the British & Irish Lions series where the Springboks were accused of playing boring rugby, wings Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe both crossed the whitewash.

Mapimpi's try in the second Test sparked a fightback that not only saw the Boks win that match 27-9, but they sustained the momentum long enough to win the third Test 19-16 while collecting the series on the way.

The eyes have been on Kolbe, but Mapimpi, who scored South Africa's first-ever try in a Rugby World Cup final, has been equally influential. 

Test by Test, he is becoming an increasingly senior member of the Bok set-up, and even if the spotlight isn't always shining brightest on him, he has been loving his time in camp this year. 

"These past weeks with the Springboks have been very productive, even though for parts of it we haven't played as much rugby as we wanted," Mapimpi said.

"We hadn't been together properly since the 2019 World Cup, but we were able to put together our plans properly along with the coaches.

"We've also been able to put our plans together for the Lions tour and the following Tests, but there's a lot I've learned.

"The coaches entrusted us with a lot of responsibility, and we've embraced it."

Mapimpi will be starting Saturday's second Rugby Championship Test against Argentina at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, but the likes of Aphelele Fassi and S'bu Nkosi continuing to keep the pressure on him.

"There's a fair bit of competition in the team and that's something I can understand to be honest, but as team-mates, we also have to support each other," Mapimpi said.

"We're part of the same team, chasing the same goal and we need to encourage each other and prepare each other accordingly to be honest."