Playing career

Starting as a junior with the

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

franchise the Vodacom

Blue Bulls The Blue Bulls (known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodacom Blue Bulls) is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Blue Bulls Rugby Union and are based at Loftus Versfe ...

in 2001, Mametsa has since appeared for the Bulls in the

Vodacom Cup The Vodacom Cup was an annual rugby union competition in South Africa. Annual Vodacom Cup competitions were played between its inaugural season in 1998 and 2015 and was contested between February and May each year. The Vodacom Cup was the succes ...

, the

Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...

, and the Super 14 series, usually on the

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

."Profiles: John Mametsa." thebulls.co.za. No Date. Retrieved on 30 July 2009. Making his Currie Cup debut in 2002, Mametsa was named Currie Cup player of the year in 2003. During his 100th game against the Lions at

Ellis Park Stadium Ellis Park Stadium (known as Emirates Airline Park for sponsorship reasons) is a rugby union and association football stadium in the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was ...

on 21 June 2008, he scored three tries for the Bulls, and went on to score the most tries (7) by any Bulls player that year."Blue Bulls - Statistics." supersport.com. 20 July 2009. Retrieved on 30 July 2009. He was part of the Blue Bulls team that won the Currie Cup in 2003 and 2004, and that shared the trophy with the Vodacom

Cheetahs The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

in 2006. In 2008 he made his debut in the Super 14 series, winning 6

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

."Super 12 rugby squads." News24.com 15 January 2004. Retrieved on 30 July 2009. During his career from 2002 to 2010, Mametsa played 136 provincial games for the Blue Bulls, scoring 355 points. When he retired in 2010, his 71 career tries placed him third on the list of all-time tries scored by Blue Bulls players, and joint 10th on the Blue Bulls' list of most career matches.

Miscellaneous

On 18 October 2008, one week prior to the Absa Currie Cup final in which he was to play on the losing side against the Natal

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

, Mametsa was assaulted by traffic police and arrested for seven hours. Mametsa had intervened on behalf of teammate Fudge Mabeta, an occasional

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

for the Bulls, who had allegedly reversed his car into a traffic official’s vehicle. All charges against Mametsa were withdrawn in the Hatfield Community Court on 2 June 2009."Mametsa charges withdrawn." Sport24.co.za June 2, 2009. Retrieved on 30 July 2009.

Accolades

in 2003, Mametsa was one of the five nominees for Young Player of the Year, along with

Schalk Burger Schalk Willem Petrus Burger Jr. (born 13 April 1983) is a South African former professional rugby union player. He played as a flanker for Saracens in the English Premiership and has won 86 caps for South Africa. He was a member of the 2007 ...

Jaque Fourie ''Jaque'' (Spanish for the Chess move '' check'') was a Spanish chess magazine, published twice a month in Valencia. It started in San Sebastian in 1970 and was the Spanish leading chess magazine since then. Some of the best chess players This l ...

, Fourie du Preez and recipient of the award, Ashwin Willemse.

References

External links

Bulls Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mametsa, John South African rugby union players Living people 1981 births Bulls (rugby union) players Blue Bulls players Rugby union wings