Secret weapon behind Jeppe’s historic rugby win over Grey
‘Quiet’ boy from Tzaneen who is not above cleaning the school’s changeroom will go far, says former primary school head
● About 350km north of Pretoria, in Tzaneen, Willes Steenkamp sat — mostly on the edge of his seat — watching his former primary school pupil and Jeppe High School for Boys head boy and rugby captain Risima Khosa making tackle after tackle in pursuit of a slice of schoolboy rugby history.
“You know, it’s Grey College, and all I was thinking about before the game was: ‘Shucks
— I hope [Grey’s] score is not too high,’ said Steenkamp, the principal at Laerskool Tzaneen.
It turned out the difference was not big — just three points — but the outcome was enormous, sending a shudder through South African schoolboy rugby ranks, in which Grey College is a behemoth.
Jeppe won by 22-19, its first win against a team Jeppe’s first team head coach, Drickus Venter, described as “not just the best schoolboy rugby team in South Africa, but in the world”.
Steenkamp called Khosa later in the week, inviting him back to his primary school where he wanted him to address the current pupils.
“For a former pupil, someone from Tzaneen, to be at a school like Jeppe and to help them do something like that — I just wanted him to share some of that experience. But I also wanted our boys and girls to see what someone who used to walk through these grounds, play for us and attend classes here could achieve.”
Khosa unfortunately couldn’t make the appointment because he was preparing for Jeppe’s next assignment at the KES Easter Festival in Johannesburg, which started yesterday.
It was a picture of him, uploaded to social media by Jeppe’s principal, Dale Jackson, which garnered plenty of attention, as it showed Khosa cleaning the changeroom. Jackson said it was part of the school’s tradition that the captain “cleaned the sheds”, but Steenkamp said his former pupil would have done it anyway.
“I understand it is a part of the culture at Jeppe, but for me, even if that wasn’t the case, Risima would have done it anyway. It’s just the kind of boy he is.”
Steenkamp describes a conscientious individual and a top academic who was popular with teachers and fellow students alike, even at primary school. “He has a presence about him. He’s quiet, but he is a leader. People just want to be around him.”
Steenkamp was “sports organiser” when Khosa was at Laerskool Tzaneen and also taught him maths. “He is a super boy. He takes nothing for granted and is extremely hard-working. You know, his handwriting — it’s not like that of other boys. You know how boys are. His handwriting — it’s like a girl’s. He was just diligent about his schoolwork.”
At Jeppe, Venter said there was meaning behind the captain being tasked with cleaning the changeroom. “It’s a message of leadership that is about more than just the changeroom. It’s about leaving something in a better state than it was when you found it.”
The players also found strength in tragedy, said Venter. The death of Kaiden Bowie after a match in Brakpan, on the East Rand, earlier this month was something that still affected the boys, said Venter.
“Those were a tough couple of days, and in fact things are still tough. And it doesn’t seem right to say we played for him, but he was a driving force for us — his loss added fuel to our fire.”
It wasn’t lost on the players, coaching staff and Jackson when a rainbow arched across the Pretoria sky and appeared to touch the scoreboard, where Jeppe’s historic win was displayed.
“When that rainbow appeared afterwards, we knew [Kaiden] had ‘gooi-ed’ it on the scoreboard, that he was smiling down on us, and that the stars had aligned,” said Venter.
It was a victory celebrated by many of Jeppe’s old boys, who include footballer Morgan Gould, cyclist Daryl Impey, boxer Brian Mitchell, and former Springbok coach Jake White, who also previously taught at the school.
“South African schoolboy rugby is very, very strong, but there can be too much emphasis at some schools on winning at all costs,” said Venter. “We want to win, we want to be competitive, and we want it to be part of our DNA to be winners, but there’s also another lesson for life — to chase the result and not give up.”
In Tzaneen, Steenkamp believes his former pupil with tidy handwriting has got a bright future ahead of him.
“There may be better No 8s in his age group, but in rugby it takes more than just talent. There has to be hard work, and you must have the correct character and attitude. Risima has all of that.”
“To me, it doesn’t matter what he does in life, whether it’s rugby or something else. He is very strong academically, and I think he will be extremely successful at whatever he does. It’s just a privilege to have played even a small part in that boy’s life. He is such a lovely child,” said Steenkamp.