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This week the sad news reached us that former Springbok Solly Tyibilika, 32, died after he was repeatedly shot at close range as he enjoyed a drink with some friends near Cape Town. The death of Solly comes as a major shock to South Africa and the global rugby world.
Solomzi Tyibilika was born on 23 June 1979 in the South African city of Port Elizabeth. In a country divided by Apartheid he could not have seen his bright future as a rugby player. He grew up in PE and after playing for Loyiso High School in the Zwide Township and at University level in PE, he made his professional debut in 2001, after signing a contract with the Griquas in Kimberley. In the city known for the big hole and it's diamonds, he represented the Griquas in the Vodacom Cup of 2001 and immediately after that he made his debut at Currie Cup level. After he stayed in Kimberley for 2 years, he moved to Durban to represent the Natal Sharks, after a short stint at the Golden Lions.
In Durban he had his finest moments. In a team with players like Brent Russell, Luke Watson, Johann Muller, BJ Botha, Butch James and Adrian Jacobs he made his Super12 debut in the season opener against the Bulls in Pretoria. He came on in the 73rd minute replacing Johann Muller. He played in most of the other matches that season, as a substitute. A year later he finally got his chance in the starting line-up. With guys like AJ Venter, Warren Britz, Johann Muller, Luke Watson and Braam Immelman he had a lot of people to compete with. It was the match at home against the Brumbies. His first try was against the Cats in Bloemfontein, against the players with whom he played during his short stint 2 years earlier.
He made his Test debut in 2004 against Scotland in Edinburgh, earning the distinction of scoring a try on his first appearance to achieve the significant milestone in rugby history of becoming the first black African to score a Test try for the Springboks. He got his chance in the starting line-up and will never be forgotten for his magnificent debut. He went on to play another 7 tests against Argentina (2), Australia (2), New Zealand (2) and Uruguay. In the match against Uruguay he scored 2 tries, bringing his total to 3 tries in 8 matches.
After his years with the Sharks, he moved to the Golden Lions again, representing them in the Super14 and Vodacom Cup. For the 2007 IRB Nations Cup, he was picked as part of the Emerging Springbok squad which won the tournament. He returned to Johannesburg to play in the Currie Cup but never really managed to settle at Ellis Park. His next move was to Border. It was a step down but it seemed to make him happy. Given the fact he was always feeling better when playing for a coastal team, it wasn't a surprise. The last time he was playing for a big audience, was in 2009. The British & Irish Lions toured the rainbow nation and he was part of the Southern Kings, losing 8-20.
Born and raised in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, Tyibilika's rugby journey took him around the country, and ultimately ended in Cape Town, where he now called home. He made 158 first-class appearances in all, scoring 24 tries, for Griquas, Sharks, Lions and Border, including 16 appearances in Vodacom Super Rugby for the Sharks. He will be remembered as a very talented player, a good guy with a great personality and an example for young black South Africans. He is survived by two young children, a boy and a girl, aged just two and nine months respectively.
Hamba kakuhle Solly!
