2019 Rugby World Cup winner Tandai “Beast” Mtawarira has been appointed to the board of South African franchise the Sharks on Tuesday.

The 177-Test capped former loosehead prop spent 13 years at the Shark Tank before retiring in 2019 after amassing 156 Super Rugby appearances.

Being a former player, Tandai understands their needs, and his voice will be a crucial one at the boardroom table,” the Durban-based outfit said in a statement. They loved his powerful surges with the ball tucked under his arm and many hardly knew nor were able to pronounce his surname, referring to him only as “The Beast”.

“I’m delighted to be joining an esteemed team of accomplished individuals on The Sharks board and being part of an exciting new journey led by our owner Marco Masotti. I want to thank Marco and the rest of the ownership group as well as Sharks CEO, Ed Coetzee for having faith in me, said Tandai Mtawarira.

While nicknames are common among South African footballers, Mtawarira was the only Springbok player to have one. He retired from international rugby aged 34 after South Africa defeated England in the 2019 World Cup final in Japan having won 117 Test caps before final season with DC Glory in the US’ Major League Rugby.