SA U-12 rugby winners
THE under-12 SA Rugby Legends team took top honours, winning the 2017 Sainte Dévote Rugby Tournament in Monaco.
The team, consisting of pupils from schools in Paarl and Strand, flew to Monaco earlier this month to participate in the tournament made possible through the joint efforts of the South African Rugby Legends Association (Sarla), The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, and Cell C.
This is the third year that South Africa has participated in the Sainte Dévote Rugby Tournament. The win was a feather in the cap of the team as it triumphed over 14 other teams from 11 countries at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco.
The South African team’s road to the final was flawless; over the course of all their matches, the young athletes scored 45 tries and did not concede a single one. The nail-biting final saw them squaring off against a Swiss team from Lausanne, where they scored six tries and won the game.
Princess Charlene was joined by her husband Prince Albert and her daughter Princess Gabriella to meet the teams and watch the matches.
The day before the tournament, she spent time with the South African team in a workshop with children from local schools, and also held a water safety and basic first aid workshop with the boys. The team was able to experience Monaco and tour its sights.
Sarla president Gavin Varejes said: “We are thrilled that our boys have walked away with the trophy this year. They played their hearts out, and we are proud of their guts and determination. They are a special group of boys, and I am sure that many of them will go far in the game.
“So many people contributed to the success – we couldn’t have done it without our sponsors or the support of SA Rugby’s 7s Academy manager, Marius Schoeman, who worked with the boys before they left South Africa. His expertise and skill was invaluable, as was that of our two Legends, Stefan Terblanche and Pieter Muller, and team manager Stefan Sharp.”
The team arrived back in the country yesterday.