Unsettled new Sharks forward Vincent Tituka has big aspirations for the Springboks, but he still needs to clear the hurdle of citizenship before he can realize them.
Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the rising star has lived most of his life in Johannesburg, where he began his professional rugby career with the Lions, making huge waves that led to the Sharks snapping him up for the next United Rugby Championship (URC) season. .
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Even with the abundance of free talent South Africa has in the Springbok organization and around the world, Tituka is good enough to break into the system and will be able to do so once he is granted South African citizenship, a process that has not been rushed.
“He’s moving, but he’s moving at his own pace. At the end of the day, I have to respect the process and that’s what I do. For my part, I just have to keep playing well, do my part and when the opportunity comes, be ready for it,” Tituka explained.
“At one point it was really frustrating and really bothered me (how long it took). But I got to the point where I let the process happen as naturally as possible. If it takes a little while for my dream to come true, I will wait, because the wait is worth it.
“Becoming a Springbok has been a dream of mine for a long time and it will be my dream to pull on this jersey. While I wait, the onus is on me to just continue my form and keep playing as well as I can.
“I have no doubt that if I continue down this route there should be no reason why I won’t pull on a Springbok jersey one day.”
Director of Rugby
Tsituka is also delighted to welcome former Blitzboks mentor Neil Powell to Durban as he takes on the role of Director of Rugby at the team, where he will look to make his mark and help take the team to new heights.
“He’s a great coach and he’s amazing at what he does, which is why the Sharks brought him in and I think he’ll continue to thrive in the Sharks environment. It’s a very nice and exciting environment and I don’t see why he wouldn’t do well here,” Tituka said.
Tituka is currently recovering from a shoulder injury which will see him miss the first few rounds of this URC season, but is hopeful he will be ready to play by the time the Sharks return from their overseas tour.
