This must have comforted Makazole Mapimpi. Victim of a fracture of the orbital floor during the match against Tonga (49-18, October 1), the South African winger was forced to withdraw from the rest of the World Cup, and was thus unable to participate in the victory for the Springboks against the Blues last Sunday.
Having since returned to South Africa, Mapimpi was recognized by locals in the middle of a supermarket, while he was shopping this Friday. The Sharks winger was then celebrated by the cashiers and people present on site, giving rise to an unusual scene.
A leading figure in South Africa’s success at the 2019 World Cup, the 33-year-old winger notably scored the first try in the final against England. In total, he scored six during this World Cup, finishing as the second highest scorer. Coming from an extremely poor environment, Mapimpi has enjoyed, since his exploits in Japan, a special status in South Africa, a sort of “national treasure”, while being the symbol of a rainbow country in which inequalities are tenacious.
