Kefentse Mahlo

Kefentse Seshego Mahlo (born ) is a South African rugby union player for the in the Rugby Challenge. His regular playing positions are winger, fullback or scrumhalf.

Early life

Mahlo was born and raised in the village of Moshate Ga-Sekororo, Tzaneen. He had four siblings and played many sports in his childhood. Mahlo began playing rugby at age eight after being influenced by his older brother Kopano.

Career

Youth / Varsity Cup rugby

At primary school level, Mahlo earned provincial colours in hockey and cricket, as well as representing the in the 2006 Under-13 Craven Week rugby union competition.

Mahlo again represented Limpopo at the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week competition in 2009 – which also earned him an inclusion in the Under-16 South African Elite squad – and played at South Africa's premier high school rugby competition, the Craven Week on two occasions; he played at fullback in the 2010 edition held in Welkom, scoring a try in their match against the and also in the 2011 edition in Kimberley, where he started all three of their matches in the scrum-half position.

In 2011, Mahlo was awarded a contract by Limpopo's parent union, Pretoria-based side the . After representing in the 2012 Varsity Cup Young Guns competition, he represented the s in the 2012 Under-19 Provincial Championship and scored five tries in twelve appearances; he scored just after half-time in his first match at Under-19 level to help his side to a 90–0 victory over and also scored in their matches against the , , and . He played in the semi-final of the competition, which saw the Blue Bulls win 46–35 against the Sharks, but did not play in the final due to injury.

At the end of the season, Mahlo was invited to join a South African Under-20 training camp in preparation for the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship in France, but missed out on final selection.

In 2013, Mahlo once again represented the , helping them to winning the 2013 Varsity Cup Young Guns competition, their second in a row. He also broke into the set-up, making ten appearances during the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship. He scored one try in their match against the and once again helped his side progress to the final of the competition. He started the final but could not prevent his side losing 23–30 to .

Mahlo represented ' first team in the 2014 Varsity Cup competition, playing in all seven of their matches as they finished in fifth spot to miss out on a semi-final spot. After making his first class debut during the 2014 Vodacom Cup, he returned to the side for the 2014 Under-21 Provincial Championship. He scored two tries in their first match of the season, a 143–0 win over in Pretoria, and repeated his two-try haul against the same opposition later in the season, with the Blue Bulls running out 123–7 winners in East London. He also scored one try in each of their matches against the s to help them reach the final of the competition. He played the full 80 minutes of the final, with the Blue Bulls beating 20–10 to avenge the 2013 final defeat.

Blue Bulls

Mahlo made his first class debut for the during the 2014 Vodacom Cup competition, coming on as a second-half replacement in their match against the in Welkom and helping the side to a 49–0 victory. He scored his first senior try in their next match, getting one of eighteen tries in their 116–0 demolition of Mahlo's former side, the . He made a third substitute appearance in their 15–16 loss to the in the semi-final of the competition.

Mahlo returned to the Vodacom Cup side for their 2015 campaign. After appearances off the bench against the and the in their opening two matches of the season, he also came on as a replacement in their match against trans- Jukskei rivals the and scored both tries for the Blue Bulls in a 12–24 defeat. He was elevated to the starting line-up for the first time for their next match, a 20–18 win over Nelspruit-based side the . Mahlo made a total of three starts and six appearances off the bench in the Blue Bulls' 2015 Vodacom Cup campaign, helping them all the way to the semi-final of the competition, where they lost 6–10 to . Mahlo ended the season with six tries to his name, the top try scorer for the Blue Bulls, and he received the Vodacom Cup Players' Player of the Year award at the Blue Bulls' end-of-years awards ceremony in December 2015.

References

External links

Profile and statistics - Romanian League - Mahlo Kefentse Seshego

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahlo, Kefentse
South African rugby union players
Living people
1993 births
Rugby union players from Tzaneen
Rugby union scrum-halves
Rugby union wings
Rugby union fullbacks
Blue Bulls players
Rugby union players from Limpopo
Bulls (rugby union) players
CSM Știința Baia Mare players
Expatriate rugby union players in Romania
21st-century South African sportsmen