Player Profile: Lamla Mgedezi (Grey College)
In 2025, Lamla Mgedezi played at fullback for four prominent sides. Those teams were the Grey College 1st XV, the Free State Cheetahs u18 Craven Week side, South African Schools, and the South Africa U18 team.
His potential and ability shine as clear as a sunny South African day, so it’s no surprise that the fullback has high ambitions, which he shared with SuperSport Schools Plus: “My immediate rugby goal is to be selected for the SA Schools and SA u18 sides in 2026.
“From there, I want to continue working hard to push for SA u20 selection in my u19 year. Over the next five years, my goal is to earn a Currie Cup and URC cap.
“On a personal level, I would like to complete a law degree and work towards owning my own property.”
Grey College 1st XV Head Coach Jannie Geldenhuys noted the fullback’s natural talent early on: “The first time that I saw him play rugby was for Grey College Primary School. From a young age, you could see his amazing feet and his ability to create space on a rugby field.”
Mgedezi explained that this skill is something that he’s had from the start of his rugby journey: “My earliest memory of rugby goes back to the very first time I played. We were doing a one-on-one drill, attacker against defender.
“I remember getting the ball, stepping my opponent, and that moment ignited my passion for the game. It was then that I realised I had found a sport where I could truly express myself through something I was naturally good at, using my feet and stepping.”
While Mgedezi has been blessed with speed and agility, he isn’t a one-trick pony. He’s been developing an all-round game which serves to increase his counter-attacking threat: “I would say my overall kicking game has improved significantly over the past year.
“Many opponents tend to expect me to run the ball back, and I felt they might try to use that to their advantage. That challenged me to develop a stronger kicking game, so that it could become an added asset, allowing me to put my team in a better field position and bringing more balance to my play,” he explained.
Coach Geldenhuys weighed in: “We really worked hard on his high ball skills and his kicking ability. He himself gets quite frustrated if people think he can’t kick out of hand, but I would say that these were areas in which he improved the most over the last few years.”
The Grey College coach also acknowledged the fullback’s humble nature and willingness to serve the team’s needs: “Lamla got injured in Spain during our tour there in December,” he recalled. “The way that he has been serving his team while being on the sideline this year really speaks volumes about his character.
“He will be the one filling the water bottles, taking the bags out, and cleaning everything afterwards. Even being a senior player this year, his contributions towards serving the team have increased.”
As Plato noted: “Leadership is not the power to command, but the courage to serve.”
After a superb 2025 season, littered with magical, highlight-reel tries, one can expect more of the same from Lamla Mgedezi in 2026 – sharp, defence-shredding finishing and try-saving tackles on defence.
He is a must-watch talent and a key weapon for the Grey College 1st XV, one of the most exciting players in South African schoolboy rugby.
