Former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers believes Madosh Tambwe has the ability to be the next Makazole Mapimpi – provided the wing sticks around at the Vodacom Bulls.

Tambwe has been in sensational form for the Bulls, with the 24-year-old eager to get an opportunity to play Test rugby in the green and gold, but the ex-Sharks speedster has been linked with a move to French club Bordeaux.

De Villiers says Tambwe’s national prospects will be best improved by continuing to hone his craft in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship under Bulls director of rugby Jake White.

“Madosh is certainly playing well, but he’ll be coming up against the tougher teams now at full strength,” De Villiers told the Citizen. “So, if he can compete with them and put in good, consistent performances, we could see him stake a claim to step up to international level.

“He’s moved around quite a bit in his career, but we can see at the Bulls the impact a coach who believes in him is having. Madosh is a natural finisher, which is what you want in a wing.

“Look at Makazole Mapimpi: he has the ability to be in the right place and can score tries out of nothing, and I think Madosh could do the same.

“The way he handles the kicking game has been questioned in the past, but he has really improved there and his decision-making in defence has improved, too.”

The former Bok, who played 15 of his 109 Tests on the wing, has identified several areas Tambwe needs to work on if he hopes to step up to international rugby: “At national level, you’re looking for a wing who can really limit his mistakes. That and finishing ability really make up the best wingers.

“Madosh just needs to bring his error rate down a bit – things like losing the ball in contact or being tackled out into touch – but they are small things.”