Ross Vintcent and Vincent Tshituka will line up on opposite sides at Loftus on Saturday, but their shared story is a tribute to rugby’s power to transcend borders, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane reflects on the parallel Test paths of Italy’s Ross Vintcent and South Africa’s Vincent Tshituka — players raised and schooled in South Africa, but shaped by very different circumstances.
Vintcent, a Bishops schoolboy who barely played in his matric year due to Covid, qualified for Italy via ancestry, captained their U20 side, and now plays Test rugby after learning the anthem via Google Translate.
“Within four years he had played against the All Blacks, Ireland and France,” writes Keohane, “and on Saturday he will play against the country of his birth.”
Tshituka, meanwhile, was always a Springbok-in-waiting — but citizenship hurdles delayed his eligibility for nearly a decade. Keohane notes that while others may have taken a fast-track route abroad, Tshituka stayed in South Africa, excelled at the Lions and Sharks, and finally earned his Bok call-up.
“He did not take a short cut, through residency in France or England. He doubled down and stayed in South Africa,” Keohane writes. His debut in a non-cap match against the Barbarians last week yielded two tries and “reinforced that he has always been good enough for the big dancers of international rugby.”
For Keohane, the story of Vintcent and Vincent is a reminder that travelling the road to Test caps takes much more than just sheer talent. “They are the game’s reminder,” he writes, “that there is always a bigger story behind each player privileged enough to sing the pre-match anthem.”
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