East London’s Sibabalwe Mahashe made an impressive senior debut in the Emirates Lions’ 34-22 victory against the Sharks in the URC, and the 21-year-old forward says there is more to come from him.
Mahashe said being announced in the starting XV took him by surprise, but he quickly came to terms with the fact that he earned his opportunity.
“Initially, as soon as I saw that I’m going to start, I couldn’t believe it.
“A few hours later, though, after training, I was confident and very excited to get out there and play with the brothers.”
Mahashe marked his impressive first senior start with a try in the early minutes of the second half.
In 68 minutes, he contributed with five carries and made seven tackles with an 87% success rate.
“The intensity was as I had expected.
“I’ve had the honour of playing two senior games before this one, but the physicality was even higher because it was a South African derby.
“I already heard from teammates that those ones are usually very physical, so it didn’t catch me by surprise.”
The former Border Craven Week captain expressed gratitude for the moment, especially coming from East London, and believes that it will give hope to other players.
“It means a lot because I hope that people from East London can believe and work hard in their dreams and know nothing is impossible.”
“The biggest motivation has come from my family. I wouldn’t be where I am without them and the grace of God.
“Before every game I play, I always give them a call just to remind me of ‘my why’.”
Confidence in 2026
In 2025, Mahashe had a stellar year that saw him awarded the Lions’ U21 Forwards Player of the Year.
He says the award boosted his confidence going into 2026.
“It meant a lot to get that award, but rugby is a team sport, and credit must go to the team for putting me in good positions to look good, if I may say.
“The motivation has always been there internally, but the award was a nice confidence booster to see that the work being put on the field is being recognised,” Mahashe said.
The flanker credited his fellow Eastern Cape teammates, Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Bathobele Hlekani, for helping him to settle his nerves.
“It’s always nice being around Asa and Batho because they are both very confident and relaxed players, so that sort of rubs off on you as well.
“On game day, I spoke to Batho and told him that I’m very nervous. He told me to just calm down and do what I’ve been doing my whole life.
“Being around them a lot does help immensely when it comes to nerves settling.”
As the URC season draws closer to the knockout stages, Mahashe believes that he can become an important facet to the team whether he starts or comes off the bench.
“I do what I can always to help the team. We always say whatever happens when it comes to selection, it’s for the best interest of the badge.
“Everyone would love to play every game if they could, but the coaches always select the best possible squad that they believe could do the job on that specific game.”
The Lions currently find themselves in seventh place on the URC table and will look to improve their position this Saturday at Ellis Park in Johannesburg against the Stormers, who lie in third place.
”Every fixture is very important now in order to qualify for the knockout phase, but before we look at that bigger picture, we put our full focus on the next game we are going to be playing."
Mahashe’s former coaches at Hudson Park, Lwazi Zangqa and James Winstanley, were at Ellis Park.
“It was a very proud and heartfelt moment for us, having been involved in his journey at Hudson Park.
“We are proud of his patience …. hopefully he’ll go on to represent the Lions well and ultimately see him at the Springboks,” Zangqa said.
“He’s always had the drive and the zeal.
“He’s a hard worker and is very disciplined, which is what you need as a rugby player who can handle tremendous amounts of pressure.”
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