Well-travelled Beast charges into wine

At just nine years old, Tendai Mtawarira was named a “man-child”, something he recalls with vivid recollection.

This earned him the nickname Beast, a moniker that would define his presence on the rugby field for more than 12 years.

While wining and dining at Olives & Plates in Sandton, the famed Beast is not charging at the opposition he is known for tackling. Instead, he is clad in a clean-cut, all-black outfit bought from a Rwandan designer. Something he is not knew to either as a consummate traveller.

Thanks to his years of service to the Springbok team, Mtawarira has enjoyed many spoils. While many might assume he is an avid fan of maxing out his gym membership that creates his towering stature, the gentle giant is a fan of wines.

“My very first sip of wine was love at first taste. I could never really share with the rest of the world that I love wine. I was still a professional rugby player and I couldn’t just chat about my love for alcohol,” says Mtawarira.

“From Siya to Eben, I think my ex-teammates can testify to the fact that I had a wine cellar at my house that I used to stack up with lots of wine.”

As a result he has recently partnered with SMCG Wines to create his own brand, The Beast Wine Collection.

“It’s actually a funny story,” Mtawarira starts, looking back to when he and his business partner caught up post-Covid in Cape Town. When the two connected about wine, Mtawarira was coaxed into starting his own line with the potential it would thrive because he is a famous black athlete.

“It was a light bulb moment for me and everything made sense. My vision was to create a high-quality premium wine. I’ve always loved South African wines and I’ve previously travelled all over the world experiencing French and even Argentinian wines, but South African wines have always had a distinct quality and taste.”

Outside of being revered as the most-capped prop in SA rugby history, and holding the third most caps in Springbok history, Mtawarira has always clung onto the world of travel. Something he finally got to bring to fruition when he joined the national squad. But it’s not just cheap thrills and sights that scratch his itch for travel. It’s rather the people of the countries he has been to.

“You are never the same when you go to certain spaces in the world. When I got to experience Japan, I liked how they are so in line and how they respect one another as well as the people that visit their country.”

His appreciation for order stems from his outlook on life, a characteristic seen in his domineering game play on the field. But as a dapper tower of brawn, Mtawarira also holds on to the origins of his name, birthed from the comic book character Hank “Beast” McCoy.

“My best friend gave me that name, actually. His name is Kuda and at that stage X-Men had come into the picture,” says Mtawarira. “It just suited my personality and now it’s quite incredible because I always have him text me and call me asking for royalties!” he laughs.

A fan of the character and sci-fi movies, Mtawarira still sees a lot of himself in the character whose famed brute force is matched by his exceptional brain power.

The character is a mutant who can turn into a blue superhuman and is often faced with a lot of discrimination for being different. His diligent work towards building an equal society sees him take on the mantle of American president, and turning hard work, persistence and drive into a game-changing position in his society. Something Mtawarira had to harness when branching into his many business ventures.

“It’s a process and you’ve got to put in the time. It’s the same on the rugby field. You want to create something great like winning a world cup,” he says.

And it is that very fond memory that still leaves a twinkle in his eye. Bulking over the table, Mtawarira is still in awe over the Springboks’ victory against the All Blacks in 2019. A moment he has lusted over since the beginning of his career.

“It took me 12 years to eventually get to that world cup,” he says, sharing that it was a moment that almost saw him giving up on the dream before he finally earned the trophy.

“I got to watch Francois Pienaar lift the World Cup and got to watch Johnny Eales in Australia lift the World Cup, so it was that seed that I wanted to represent SA and win a World Cup. Even through my ups and downs I knew that I wanted to achieve a World Cup and it pushed me to get up every morning.”

But it’s this very persistence that he hopes younger generations will keep in mind as they pursue their own dreams, in particular those who are also pursuing a career in rugby.

“It all starts with the dream,” says the gentle giant, “besides the obstacles that you face you have to know that you can become whatever you envision in your mind. That seed will be planted and then you’ve got to water it, put in the time and watch it grow.”