The City of Johannesburg’s Sport and Recreation, in collaboration with the South African Rugby Legends Association and SA Rugby, hosted a successful Iqhawe Rugby Tournament for Under-16 rugby players.

The Iqhawe National Rugby Boys and Girls U16 seven-a-side Rugby Tournament was held at Johannesburg Stadium, Doornfontein, with teams from the Lions, Blue Bulls, and Falcons Rugby Unions taking part, at the weekend.

Since inception in 2013, over 1 200 players have taken part in this exciting playoff.

“Throughout the tournament, boys and girls from various rugby unions tackled each other and each of them demonstrated commitment to their teams by expending as much energy as possible, as well as the discipline, fight, and hard work that comes with the game,” said Dale Santon from the South African Rugby Legends Association and former South African rugby union player.

The selection criteria were primarily aimed at new, introductory, small, rural, lower-league, and non-traditional rugby schools to participate in a tournament of equal stature as the National Craven Week. Players were drawn from various South African rugby unions. Each union had to choose its best players from a variety of clubs. As a result, the tournament organizers were adamant that with the right support, these young players could become well-respected big players in the future.

The Iqhawe Rugby Tournament is a great platform for talented players from smaller schools to perform on, and the idea, according to Cllr Ronald Harris, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development is “to expose the best of players to talent scouts from the unions, so that they can be included in talented player projects, and it is also another innovative initiative creating pathways to Provincial Elite Squads and Grant Khomo U/16 Week”.

It was a weekend of tight, thrilling rugby matches, and the two-day tournament unearthed some incredible raw talent. The morning of the finals was showered with rain, but this did not deter excited players from displaying their skills as Golden Lions claimed first place for Girls U16 seven-a-side rugby and Gauteng Invitational claimed first place for Boys U16 seven-a-side rugby.

When asked what qualities players should possess to be the best, Gauteng Invitational captain Shaun Udo said: “Having an abundance of strength and power is beyond helpful, it’s essential because, as you may have noticed, rugby is a very fast-paced, rough, and rugged game.”

“As a result, building adequate strength through sustained strength and endurance training is an essential part of every rugby player’s workout regimen. The majority of rugby skills are time-constrained, occurring at high speeds with high physical stakes at hand, with that said, strength and hypertrophy are only the building blocks of a sturdy rugby player,” he concluded.

Written by Ntombifuthi Junerose Nkosi
12/04/2022