Friday 19 June 2009 14:10, UK
"The Beast" has become a crowd favourite in South Africa in both the black and white of the Sharks and the green and gold.
Two stellar Super 14 seasons have made him the stand out loosehead prop in South Africa Despite his young age, Mtawarira has established a reputation as a powerful scrummager and will form a formidable front row combination alongside Sharks team-mates Bismarck du Plessis and John Smit. Strong as he is in the set piece, it's with ball in hand that 23-year-old wreaks the most havoc- always accompanied by the cry of "Beeeeeeast" from the stands. He is one of the local success stories in Durban, having come through the ranks of Sharks Academy, age group rugby and finally making it as a regular in the Sharks squad before bursting onto the international scene against Wales in Pretoria aged just 22.