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Rugby players from Gqeberha Township schools are getting the opportunity of a lifetime with this year’s Mzwandile Mali Tournament.
The tournament, which started last week, could well be the start of a famous rugby career, for a young player to follow in the footsteps of legends like Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi.
Bonzai made an early statement by beating Kwazakhele 61–0. It looks like the boys from Sydenham mean business and are a team to watch going forward.
Local selectors, coaches, scouts, and media will get a good look at the talent in the townships during the tournament.
There are 20 Gqeberha schools involved, and four schools will contest the KwaMaqoma (Fort Beaufort) leg.
That final will be played in the Wolfson Stadium in Kwazakhele on March 15.
After the final there will be more excitement, when some very important announcements will be made.
The Lincoln Mali Leadership Foundation donated R150 000 for prizes which will be awarded to the top performing schools and individuals.
The winning school will receive R50 000.
Then 22 names of the players who performed the best at the tournament will be announced to be part of the Mzwandile Mali Team.
This team has been invited by the Sevenoaks Rugby Football Club in Kent to tour England from October 5 to 13.
The chairperson of Sevenoaks, Stephen Fitzmaurice, is looking forward to hosting the talented East Cape players.
“We are delighted to invite the team to join us for a week of rugby festivities,” Fitzmaurice said.
“There will be various activities, including training sessions, matches, and cultural exchanges, to ensure an enriching experience for the players.
“We are confident that the exchange will be mutually beneficial, promoting cultural understanding and enhancing the skills and camaraderie of our young rugby enthusiasts.”
Lincoln Mali is delighted that Standard Bank and SuperSport are involved.
“This will give township schools rugby players an opportunity to showcase their skills and talents to a broader audience of potential coaches, clubs, and universities.
“We see this tournament as one of the building blocks to the revival and development of school rugby in townships and villages in the Eastern Cape.
“Rugby has been played here for more than 130 years,” said Mali.
While the Eastern Province (EP) selectors are excited to see what talent they can dig up during the tournament, the High Performance Boys’ group, which consists of u/17 and u/15 players, has already started their training sessions.
Now the girls’ group has also started training and had their first meeting this past Friday at Andrew Rabie High School in Gqeberha.
The secretary of EP High Schools, Neville Botha, said that 23 girls have been invited to the sessions.
He encouraged the schools to assist the players to attend these important sessions in preparation of the rugby season.
Motherwell and John Walton are the schools which produced the most players for the girls’ squad.
Remember to mail us your school’s important rugby dates to steenkamphenk@gmail.com.
