Bulls newbie Maqondwana in awe of Jake's insights: 'It's just the tip of the iceberg'

There's a fair amount of irony involved when Phumzile Maqondwana, one of the Bulls' off-season acquisitions, labels himself an "average rugby player".

Because of all the waves that stars like Marcell Coetzee, Elrigh Louw, Cornal Hendricks, and Ruan Nortje made in a successful URC campaign; it was players of the former Pumas captain's calibre that proved the cornerstone of the run to the final.

Maqondwana is being harsh on himself.

The 26-year-old flanker is merely in the "underrated" category, much like his new teammates Gerhard Steenekamp, Mornay Smith and David Kriel, men with little pedigree who became key players because of good coaching unearthed their less-than-obvious talent.

A former Selborne College stalwart, Maqondwana joined the Lions initially before moving to Nelspruit, where the steady hand of Pumas mentor Jimmy Stonehouse gave him, like various others, the opportunity to ratchet up his market value.

"I knew there was a lot that needed to be invested in me to become a rugby player that could go far. I grew as a player, I gained confidence, good principles were instilled in me, I started getting a clearer picture of what I wanted and heightened my intensity to obtain it," he said, a nice nod to the Currie Cup champions.

"So, when [Bulls CEO] Edgar [Rathbone] and Jake White came knocking, I started to appreciate the path I had taken and became excited for what lies ahead. The call came at an interesting time when I thought I had had a very average season. There were some other voices that believed I had had a more than okay season."

Regardless of Maqondwana's output, the former Springbok coach has seen more than enough to warrant him taking a punt on the man from Elliotdale in the Eastern Cape.

And his mind has been