Simphiwe Matanzima learned his rugby at Queen's College in Komani in the Eastern Cape, one of the country's proudest rugby schools, before heading north to join the Bulls set-up in Pretoria - a pathway that saw him dubbed "the new Beast" in reference to fellow Eastern Cape loosehead Tendai Mtawarira.
He made his Super Rugby debut for the Bulls in February 2019 in a 40-3 win over the Stormers and became a valued front-row impact player at Loftus Versfeld across Super Rugby, the URC and Currie Cup. In 2025 the Sharks moved to sign him as cover and competition for Springbok loosehead Ox Nche, and he made his Sharks debut at the start of the 2025/26 URC season, quickly impressing in the scrums against Glasgow, the Dragons and Leinster.
Head-turning early form prompted coach John Plumtree to tip him publicly as a future Springbok. At 28, Matanzima's best rugby is ahead of him in black and white.
