Bulls prop Khutha Mchunu has opened up about his fiercely competitive childhood with Springbok brother Ntuthuko and the bond that continues to drive them.
Growing up in the Mchunu household meant growing up in a contest. Bulls tighthead Khutha and his brother Ntuthuko, now at the Stormers, were big boys and nothing was ever settled quietly.
“From a young age it was always competitive in the house,” Mchunu, 29, said. “Everything was a battle, and we loved it. Our father hated it, to be honest.”
It is not hard to see where the size came from. Their father Mfanono was a sportsman, a footballer, and a giant of a man.
“Big guy, big hands, big feet,” Mchunu said. “Not the tallest, but he wore a size 14 shoe and he was shorter than me.”
The rough and tumble gave way to something deeper. The brothers have supported each other through the highs and lows of professional rugby, including at the Sharks, where their professional careers began. Although Ntuthuko also dabbled at hooker, the pair never came up against one another.
“To have that support structure, someone who understands what it’s like to be in those positions, is massive,” he said. “It’s crucial.”
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His own love of the game began in front of a TV.
“Growing up, we didn’t have DStv, so the 2007 World Cup was also on SABC 2, an hour or so after the game,” he recalled. “That was the first time I watched rugby, and from there, watching guys like Os du Randt, I was fascinated by the physicality of the sport.”
A year later, a new hero arrived. Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira became a Springbok in 2008, and Mchunu’s ambitions were set.
Years on, he would share a field with him.
“I was on the bench when I made my [Sharks] debut and he started, so we played in the same team,” Mchunu said. “It was a young kid’s dream come true, playing with the Beast. He capped me too. I have a picture at home with him. I was only 20 years old.”
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Injuries have tested him since, not least a back injury two years ago, but he sounds a man renewed.
“I feel like I’m finally finding my feet, rediscovering some form, feeling excited and enjoying my rugby again,” he said, adding that he’d “love to play for the green and gold”.
First, though, there is the Scarlets at Loftus on Saturday, the last URC home game before the November break.
He aims to be there, bringing the heat.
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
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