‘14 minutes of sheer torture that left me spent and exulting’
IT’S five minutes into the rugby game, and I’m gasping for air. My lungs feel like they’re going to pack up, and it’s almost like my legs have forgotten how to move.
I’m not unfit. I work out four days a week, but this is the hardest I’ve run in my life – I’m running after a guy carrying a rugby ball and I’m just not getting any closer to him, try as hard as I can
It’s not for the lack of effort, it’s because my teammates and I are up against the mighty Blitzbokke. They are after all Olympic bronze medallists and like us, they’ve got a point to prove because we’re playing on Robben Island. It’s the first time ever a rugby game of this nature has been played on the island, made famous by its famous prisoner Nelson Mandela.
I expected the game to be ridiculously tough, but this has exceeded all my expectations and the pros are not giving us an inch. I don’t get a sniff at the ball ever as the Sevens players Seabelo Senatla , Stephan Dippenaar, Roscko Speckman, Justin Geduld, and Dylan Sage move the ball with swagger and fly past everyone on our team.
They have scored at least five tries in the first half, which only lasted seven minutes. I actually have lost count of the number of tries. It could be more, but I’m focusing on finishing the game without collapsing. The blitzbokke pile on more tries in the second half; we barely keep up.
The final whistle eventually blows and the Blitzbokke are resounding winners. They have barely broken a sweat and look ready to engage in another battle on the field.
I can barely walk off the pitch. My teammates and I are exhausted and it’s only been a 14-minute game.
The historic Robben Island match between the Blitzbokke up against journos and local celebrities is a charity event organised by Shoprite Checkers. The winning side earned R50 000 for a charity of their choice.
Bagging the win, the Blitzbokke chose to donate money to the Boks for Books campaign with the R50 000 to be used to refurbish libraries in previ- ously disadvantaged schools in South Africa.
Olympic hero Seabelo Senatla called the match one of the greatest experiences of his life.
“I’ve travelled around the world playing in a number of special venues, but coming to Robben Island is up there with one of the best places I’ve played at. I feel pretty blessed to have experienced this,” Senatla said.
The game itself was incredible, it was the kind of sporting fun that makes Senatla love rugby. He said:”The game was a light-hearted and that’s not something we never ever get to do often. Normally we are playing under pressure, so having a kick about and a laugh was good fun. It reminded me of why I play rugby.”
The last time Senatla had visited Robben Island he was just seven years old. This time he returned to the island as an Olympic bronze medallist.
“All those memories came rushing back to me. I closed my eyes and tried imagining what life was like back then. It’s really humbling to see how far we have come as a country.”
Senatla’s teammate Stefan Dippenaar said he too was thrilled to be a part of the historic game and was happy to raise funds for a cause that is close to his heart. “Giving back at such a historical place is a thing I will remember forever and I am glad to have been a part of it, said Dippenaar.
As I hobble off the field I’m in awe of being on Robben Island and in having taken part in a small bit of sporting history for a good cause. It was definitely worth the drubbing.