Full name | Siphesihle Qhamani Punguzwa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 21 May 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Butterworth, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 87 kg (192 lb; 13 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Selborne College, East London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Siphesihle Qhamani 'Pitsa' Punguzwa (born 21 May 1993 in Butterworth) is a South African rugby union player for the Border Bulldogs in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge.[1] His regular position is flanker.
Punguzwa represented his home province of Border at both the 2009 Under-16 Grant Khomo Week and the 2011 Under-18 Craven Week tournaments. He then moved to Port Elizabeth to join the Eastern Province Kings. He played in all nine matches of the Eastern Province U21 side's 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship Division B campaign, making five starts and four substitute appearances and scoring eight tries, the joint-highest by a forward in the competition.[2] His try-scoring feats included braces against SWD U21[3] and Falcons U21.[4] He also played in their promotion/relegation play-off match against former side Border U21, but, despite scoring yet another try in the match, could not help Eastern Province U21 gain promotion to Division A.[5]
Punguzwa was included in the Eastern Province Kings for the first time for the 2014 Vodacom Cup competition[6] and made his senior debut by coming on as a substitute in their 17–10 opening day defeat to Kenyan side Simba XV.[7] Three more substitute appearances followed – with Punguzwa scoring his first senior try for the Kings in their 28–21 victory over Boland Cavaliers[8] – before he was named in the starting line-up for the first time for their match against the Sharks XV in Durban.