Bulela hotsteps it to a bright rugby future
PLETTENBERG BAY - Sixteenyear-old Bulela Mbala from Qolweni in Plettenberg Bay is preparing for his future at Rondebosch High School in Cape Town.
The talented rugby find from one of Plett's less affluent areas is set to continue his dream of playing for the Springboks next year after winning a scholarship to one of Cape Town's prestigious schools. Rondebosch High School is regarded as a feeder school that is often a stepping stone to bigger things in the Western Cape rugby world.
The humble and very quiet Bulela, as he is described by his teammates at Plett Hotsteppers Rugby Academy, will be heading to boarding school armed with two A grades in Grade 10, for science and maths.
Bulela is a product of Kwano Academy in Kwanokuthula that concentrates on making a difference in the education of poor communities through cycling, with the motto "study hard, ride fast". Participants join the programme under strict guidelines. The programme provides after-school, post-high school and cycling programmes, funded from donations.
"Each of our students must attend so many hours of after-school classes to be eligible to ride," said Kwano Academy director Paul Owen. "It was a combination of good marks and his rugby prowess that got him noticed. Just an all-round good guy."
Bulela, a versatile player who is comfortable at wing, as well as flank on either side of the scrum, and eighthman, is described by teammate Dadrian Commins as a quiet player who gets the job done with his 91kg frame. He is the first Hotstepper to win a scholarship for rugby and according to another teammate, Romano Christians, absolutely embraces the Hotsteppers motto, "Hard work beats talent, if talent doesn't work".
Bulela, whose role model is Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am, understands it will require hard work to attain his goals. His first priority is to see if he can make the Craven Week side, via Rondebosch, and maybe the Springbok U18 side. Once he's completed matric he hopes to attend UCT, where he might come into the sights of the Stormers. He has been playing rugby since Grade 2, but became more focused on the sport in Grade 8 at Murray High School in Kwanokuthula. Bulela recognises the need to maintain his academic standards and says, "I must study as hard as I play on the field…"
He says he is preparing for the personal changes in his life at boarding school without parents being there all the time. "I have to learn to take care of myself." Recently, as part of his assimilation into Rondebosch, he joined a 10-day hiking adventure through the Bontebok Ridge near Wellington with Grade 10 learners from Rondebosch that will be his classmates in Grade 11 to get to know them and improve communication skills.
"We were also told to appreciate what our parents gave us," he said.