Boeta Chamberlain says he’s determined to help with the turnaround at the Newcastle Red Bulls, but insists he won’t be trying to become the next Jonny Wilkinson.

The former Bulls playmaker joined the rebranded Red Bulls ahead of the new English Premiership season, and it hasn’t taken long for comparisons to emerge between the 26-year-old and England’s 2003 World Cup hero, who launched his career at Kingston Park.

“I can only promise to just be myself, there’ll never be another Jonny,” Chamberlain told RugbyPass, eager to put aside any further comparisons.

“But I can be confident and say that I came here to help turn the club around. I want to play my part and create something special. I want to win matches for Newcastle. I want to win trophies for Newcastle. I want to be the guy who can make our fans and the city as a whole proud. Maybe in that sense I want to do what Jonny did. But I’ll have to do it my way.”

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If Chamberlain sounds assured, it’s because he’s already faced some of rugby’s toughest examinations. Born in Worcester, he came through the fiercely competitive ranks of Paarl Boys’ High, the powerhouse that produced Springboks like Frans Malherbe, Corne Krige and Thomas du Toit.

“Some of the toughest games I’ve ever played were for my school,” Chamberlain reflects. “We’d sometimes have 25,000 people watching us. Imagine that. I’ve played games in the URC and Prem with less people watching.

“When you take a kick to win a game in front of that many people as a 17-year-old, it must do something to you. I’m not saying that kids from other countries don’t feel pressure, but there is something that happens in South African schoolboy rugby that prepares you for the big stage.”

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