Youth training is at the centre of Border development for future
Ex-Boks offer differing views for a spiced up Cup
RUGBY may be the focus on the field at the Border Women’s Youth Training Centre (YTC) in East London, but off the field the programme’s key focuses include social upliftment and offering young girls an opportunity to live balanced lives.
The Border YTC is one of eight SA Rugby YTC’s located throughout the country with the purpose of bolstering the women’s game by developing a bigger pool of players and grooming them for top-class rugby. The other YTC centres are based at the Blue Bulls Limpopo, Blue Bulls, Border, Eastern Province, Griquas, South Western Districts and Western Province rugby unions.
Through the programme, players from the ages of 14 to 18 years participate in regular training sessions and matches and have access to conditioning and healthy eating programmes.
The Border YTC, based at the BCM Stadium in East London, covers five districts – Buffalo City, OR Tambo, Amathole, Alfred Nzo and Joe Ngqabi – and has 70 regular participants.
The centre hosts two squad training sessions a week, with individual skills sessions offered on alternate days.
Through the programme, the YTC has introduced 558 new players to rugby since the centre’s inception in 2015.
“For us the first step is to offer the participants something positive to do through playing rugby,” YTC coach Zolisa Naka said.
“But we make it our mission to look beyond the participants’ skills and assist them in any way possible. With most of our recruits coming from informal settlements, villages and townships, many players in the programme have made rugby their escape from troubled backgrounds.”
Naka emphasises the importance of the programme on the field: “Our passion for the game runs deep, and we see it is a tool to reach out to the next generation.
“Apart from introducing rugby to children at a young age and educating them about the sport, nutrition and fitness, it allows them to develop leadership and a number of other skills. THEY played for both the Sharks and Western Province and perhaps unsurprisingly‚ a trio of former Springboks offered widely differing views ahead of Saturday’s Currie Cup final in Durban.
Former wing James Small‚ with familiar fist thumping authority‚ is predicting a Sharks win‚ erstwhile lock Nico Wegner is a little more measured in his expectation of a WP triumph‚ while Dick Muir believes we will witness a spectacle in the climax of the domestic season.
Although he admits to being surprised by Western Province in their semifinal victory over the
“It also offers volunteers an opportunity to get involved in administration, which offers them a sense of ownership in the game.”
The YTC training sessions focus on the core skills of the game, including ball handling, tackling and kicking among others, while they also work on speed, power, strength and endurance at their gym sessions.
With the Border women’s teams having established themselves as top contenders at all levels of the game in South Africa – with their senior team finishing the Women’s Interprovincial Golden Lions‚ Small believes Western Province’s high error rate will catch up with them at King’s Park.
“I think the Sharks at home are just going to be too strong‚” said Small.
“Defensively, the Sharks are going to be very sound.
“Finals are won on the mistakes of others and Western Province were lucky to get away with it given their high penalty count.
“They played good rugby and they have good players like Huw Jones who can come alive‚ but they gave away way too many penalties.”
Small added that there are a number of Sharks players due a big game.
“You’ve got guys who could be going on the Springbok trip [end-ofyear tour].
“Lukhanyo Am and then there’s Curwin Bosch, who will stamp his Competition as the runners-up this year, and the champions from 2013 to 2016, and their U18 YTC team finishing their annual competition as the winners and U16 team as the runners-up – Naka was pleased with the strides made in the last two years.
“This shows our dedication to the YTC, as well as the level of commitment from the personnel and the players. Our goal in the next few years is to increase the number of active recruits in the programme to 3 000, and we will continue to put in authority and there’s guys . . . the Du Preez boys [Jean-Luc and Daniel]. The Sharks have too much on offer.
“With Teich [Gary Teichmann] and Robert [du Preez] involved and a move to try and fill that stadium, I think the Sharks are due.
“It is the beginning of their rebirth. The Sharks need this more than anybody else.”
While expecting “an interesting battle”‚ the softly spoken Wegner said Western Province will draw encouragement from their recent win at the conclusion of the league stages in Durban.
“I think it is 50/50. The fact that Western Province won there recently and their defence I think puts them ahead by a short head.
“Defence can pull you through in a final.
“I think the Sharks’ momentum has been slightly broken. the hard yards to achieve that.
“Women’s Rugby is growing steadily worldwide, and with the reintroduction of our women’s 15-a-side programme, the YTC’s have, and will continue to play a crucial role in allowing us to develop skilled players.”
Women between the ages of 14 and 18 wishing to take up rugby and individuals in and around East London who would like to get involved in the YTC can contact the centre’s administrator, Nandipha Manjezi on
— DDC
“Both teams can jol. Both are playing nice rugby‚ when they decide to give the ball some air.
“But then‚ you know what it’s like in finals‚ teams become more conservative.”
The forever sanguine Muir expects quite the opposite.
“I think it is going to be quite an epic final.
“It is going to be one of those we haven’t seen for a little while. It will be a really great game. “Both teams are pretty balanced. “Their skill levels have improved as the season has gone on. They are playing a nice brand of rugby.
“It will be close but I think the Sharks will come out on top.”
Meanwhile, Jaco Peyper has been appointed to referee his third Currie Cup final. He will be assisted by Egon Seconds and AJ Jacobs‚ while Marius Jonker will be the television match official. — TimesLIVE