Despite another excellent try performance for the Springboks in their 64-21 win over Portugal in Bloemfontein on Saturday, Makazole Mapimpi is unfazed by the attention his performances have brought him.

Mapimpi was in excellent form against Os Lobos, scoring a hat-trick of tries, all in the second half. The performance saw the 33-year-old winger move up to fourth place on the list of South Africa’s top try scorers.

He has now scored 30 five-pointers in 43 tests for the Springboks, with only Jacques Fourie, Joost van der Westhuizen and Bryan Habana having crossed the line more often than he in green and gold.

We are approaching the figures of Fourie and Van der Westhuizen

Fourie and Van der Westhuizen have scored 32 and 38 goals respectively, which are within Mapimpi’s reach, but Habana’s tally of 67 five-pointers looks out of reach, although that is not something Mapimpi is concerned about.

“It’s good that you score tries and break the records that are already there, but it’s not something I focus on,” Mapimpi told reporters in Bloemfontein after the Springboks’ win.

“It’s something I can’t control, my focus now is on the little things that people can’t see and only the coaches can see. Scoring tries is something I’ve been doing since I was at Border.

“It’s a good thing I worry sometimes because people want me to score and that’s a lot of pressure, especially when you see those numbers and people are pushing me to break records.

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“I try to put those other things aside and focus on my game, making sure I do the things the coach expects of me on the pitch.

“I’m not really worried about that, if it happens it depends on how the game goes and if I get the chance to finish. I’m thankful for my teammates who create those chances for me. It’s not about me, it’s about the team.”

Despite his excellent try-scoring, Mapimpi lost his place in the Boks’ first starting line-up to Kurt-Lee Arendse, who is also a prolific try-scorer.

Mapimpi continues to work on improving other aspects of his game and believes that being honest with himself and following the advice of his coaches will keep him in the mix for the Springboks despite his advancing age.

‘Important to be honest with yourself’

“I think it’s important to be honest with yourself first before other people say anything and also do what the coaches expect of you,” he said.

“This is something I have been doing since I started playing for the Border Bulldogs, it is something that encourages me, that is why I have said I have to be honest with myself, I have to know what is right and wrong with what I have done and then go back to the drawing board for introspection and see where I can improve.

“That’s what helped me stay in the game for a long time.”

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