It’s New world for Winter Rose
NZ exchange reaps benefits
WINTER ROSE Rugby Club is reaping the benefits of a rugby exchange programme with New Zealand, that saw seven people from the club in New Zealand last month.
Winter Rose coach Songezo Sam and six players, namely Luxolo Jingqi, Akona Luhabe, Azola Mati, Siyavuya Matanga, Luvo Bazi and Junior Mlonyeni recently returned from the exchange programme, with Mlonyeni now looking to go back in a few months time.
Mlonyeni had already been asked to stay in New Zealand for an extra week to play in a match before returning to SA and, with him having impressed, he will now be heading back over for a longer period.
“It was very special and humbling to be asked to stick around for an extra week and play in the match,” said Mlonyeni.
“I am very excited to go back and I will probably be there for a year, playing rugby for Stratford rugby club in Taranaki.
“I will be paid and someone will sponsor me a place to stay, so it is all very exciting and I hope I can make a big impression when I am back and learn a lot and progress as a rugby player.”
Mlonyeni explained that rugby is different in New Zealand, and hopes it can one day become similar in SA.
“The big difference was the speed of the game. Here things are more structured and there they don’t structure the game as much,” he said.
“It was hard to adapt but I really enjoyed it and can hopefully give our guys some tips on how to play that way.”
Sam also enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot from the trip, which he hopes to teach others at Winter Rose.
“Rugby is so professional over there. It is their life and they have a completely different attitude towards players and coaches,” explained Sam.
“There are a lot more resources, the facilities are amazing and no matter what the weather rugby is still played.
“Players playing at club level are earning enough to just play rugby, so that they don’t have to have other jobs and can just focus on playing and improving their game.
“I picked up a lot over there and will try and help implement some of it here. The one thing that stuck with me the most was the one-onone player monitoring, which was a big thing for me.”
The idea of an exchange programme originally came from Imvomvo, an NGO that uses sport as a tool for social change and has a partnership with Winter Rose.