On Sunday, the Springbok women’s rugby team descended on Mthatha where they will spend several days training, holding clinics and visiting schools in surrounding villages.
Most of the players are from Eastern Cape areas including Mqanduli, Cofimvaba, Centane, Ngqamakhwe, East London and Gqeberha.
From Monday until Thursday, they will hold training and coaching clinics at Walter Sisulu University’s Mthatha’s campus.
Management will also visit the home of assistant coach Lungisa Kama at Mxambule village in Mqanduli.
On Thursday, they head to East London where they will camp until Sunday.
The team is number 11 in the world rankings and is holding training camps to get ready for the World Cup in New Zealand in October.
When the team arrived in Mthatha on Sunday, accompanied by South African Rugby Union senior manager for government and stakeholder relations Khaya Mayedwa, members were welcomed by sports, arts & culture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe.
Also on the welcoming committee were OR Tambo mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana, King Sabata Dalindyebo mayor Nyaniso Nelani, Border Rugby Union president Zuko Badli and Eastern Cape Sports Confederation president Mzondeleli Qotoyi.
Mayedwa said: “The Eastern Cape remains the heart and hub of women’s rugby.
“That is one of the reasons we decided to come to the Eastern Cape and pay homage to that kind of history. Many of our team come from this region.”
Many programmes target girls to make a career in rugby.
“But there is less appetite for sponsorship of women’s rugby and that is the challenge.
“Our team is on the high-performance programme and this is costly.”
Badli asked for the MEC’s intervention to have East London’s rugby stadium released to rugby and to prevent the Buffalo City Metro from giving it to soccer’s Chippa Mpengezi of Chippa United.
Player Aseza Hele of Kwazakhele in Gqeberha was happy that training camps were being held in the district which some of the players called home.
“This will serve as an inspiration to women’s rugby. Local children will have an opportunity to see the development in women’s rugby and also see that some of the players are from where they come from.”
Women’s coach Stanley Raubenheimer, who is from Korsten in Gqeberha, said being in the Eastern Cape was a homecoming for him.
“I used to coach for Border. It is close to my heart and I always wanted to bring the team here because we have a big group from this region.
“It is good for them to be exposed to where they come from and to inspire young girls who want to take their game seriously.”
Referring to the World Cup, he said the team would go to New Zealand focused.
“We will focus on winning one game at a time. We have to be realistic and not put unnecessary pressure on the players.
“We are working very hard and we’ve had very good results of late.
“The players are positive and happy to be at home in the Eastern Cape.
“We will have a good week here in preparation for the World Cup.”
The MEC said she was happy that Centane-born player Lusanda Dumke recently won the Eastern Cape Sport Star of the Year, beating a number of men.
“This proves sport is a powerful tool to achieve gender equality. We need to reach out to grassroots and search for more Lusandas,” she said.
“Rugby has been known as a men’s sport, but you have made us proud and broken those stereotypes,” Kontsiwe said.
Dumke, 25, who is from Cheme village in Centane but lives in Mdantsane, said there was a lot of talent in the rural areas but it needed attention.
Scrumhalf Rumandi Potgieter, from Pretoria, said: “It’s a good idea to have the team tour areas where players are from.
“It brings people together, shows how far the team has come and showcases what we can do, maybe to inspire the community.”
Team captain Nolusindiso Booi, of Trust 3 village in Middledrift, has represented both the Springbok women’s team and the Springbok Women’s Sevens teams, participating in the 2010 and 2014 Rugby World Cups, and being named SA Rugby Women’s Top Achiever and Western Province Women’s Player of the Year in 2018.
“The players now know each other and the kind of game they play.
“We are focused and working hard. There is unity and camaraderie.”
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