Hudson Park wary of third wave as they start season
The East London school will play their first game when they visit Kingswood in Makhanda on Saturday
Hudson Park High first team rugby coach Thabo Sisua says they want to continue to enjoy their rugby even amid the talk of a Covid-19 third wave that could halt school sports.
The East London school will play their first game of the season when they visit Kingswood in Makhanda on Saturday. This will be their first game in over a year after their programme was disrupted by the pandemic.
Although there’s an air of excitement going into the weekend’s encounter, they are wary of the much-mooted third wave and are planning on enjoying being on the field while they are still able to play.
“We don’t know what the future holds, so we are taking it one game at a time, each session at a time,” Sisua said.
“There are talks of a third wave, but our biggest goal is that we just want the boys to enjoy what they’re doing, give their best and reach their full potential.”
Even with the thought of rugby being stopped again at the back of their minds, Hudson Park are relishing the prospect of returning to the field.
They have managed to find a nice blend in their first team, integrating new players with the experience of those who were part of the previous side.
“The boys are raring to go after having not played rugby in a year. They want to show what they have got,” Sisua said.
“We have a balanced squad, with a lot of firepower and versatility.”
The young coach said his charges had the chance to show what they could do over the weekend and put behind the detrimental effects of no rugby caused by the pandemic.
“Obviously without any rugby that’s been played in a year or so, the boys haven’t had a chance to show their worth.
“With that being said, they have an opportunity on the weekend to express themselves and to showcase what they have in their locker.
“There are others who haven’t been exposed to first team rugby and they are looking forward to the challenge.”
Sisua added that they were expecting a tough match that would be decided by who wins the small duels within the main battle.
“We are going to City Lords, their home ground,” he said. “They will be up for it, so we are expecting nothing but a fight. We are expecting them to come out guns blazing, and so will we.”