The first outing of 2019 for the SA Rugby Legends Association (SARLA) was to Cape Town this past weekend for an action-packed three days of school visits, rugby clinics and matches at the Cape Town 10s event, where they combined with the Oakheart VIP Invitational Team.
The first stop for Stefan Terblanche, SARLA’s CEO, in collaboration with rugby legends Dale Santon and Butch James, was to the Spes Bona High School in Athlone, to hand over rugby jerseys for the 2019 Vuka Rugby Season. Sponsored by the Spur Group, the jerseys form part of an exchange for our legends Stefan Terblanche and Corne Krige’s participation in the 2018 Wine to Whales Cycle Race, in which they cycled in Spur’s colours.
Terblanche said “When Spur approached us, Corne and I were so excited to take part in this well-known challenge, especially because our completion would guarantee our claiming the “prize” for the benefit of our 2019 Vuka Rugby Schools programme.” He went on to add that “2019 marks an incredible milestone for the Vuka Rugby programme as we celebrate our 10th anniversary. Without the ongoing support of corporates like Spur, we wouldn’t be able to kit out our various school teams.”
The next stop was a fun tour of Cape Town on the famous red double-decker tourist bus, joined by more legends Bobby Skinstad, Mac Masina, Jake Boer and Percy Montgomery all part of the Cape Town 10s Oakheart VIP Invitational Team. The tour included a stop off at Vista High School, where we handed over a Gilbert rugby kit pack, rugby balls and netballs. Bryan Habana, in his first-time role as player and coach, lead the team and shared some powerful words of inspiration with the young learners.
The first day of the Cape Town 10s sporting and social event finished with resounding success with the team winning all three of their pool matches, placing them in pole position for the knockout rounds on Day 2. Further, Day 2 provided an amazing opportunity for the legends to share their skills and passion when they participated in a rugby clinic organised by the Cool Play Programme.
Following SARLA’s Oakheart VIP Invitational Teams quarter-final win, they moved into the semi-finals of the Veterans Division of the Cape Town 10s. Facing the Suiker Boere Team, they then moved through to the final vs the Walker Bay 7s Scorpions. A beautiful backline move secured the first points by Andries Strauss, who dotted under the poles to give Monty Dumond an easy conversion. Another try from Niklaas Soutman, not converted, added another 5 points, ending the match 12–0 up, resulting in the Oakheart VIP Invitational Team announced as 2019’s Veterans Champions.
Throughout the Cape Town 10s, the team put on great performances with Andries Strauss, Henno Mentz, Marc Watson, Mpho Mbiyozo, Chris Sheasby, Marco Wentzel, Blackie Swart and Neil Cole contributing points across various matches. Monty Dumond and Niklaas Soutman contributed the bulk of the points as try scorers.
Terblanche wrapped up SARLA’s weekend and involvement in the Cape Town 10s event by saying “Proudly representing SARLA, our Oakheart VIP Invitational Team succeeded, ensuring we had a weekend of winning all round!” adding “Our rugby clinic and school visits this weekend inspire me, I absolutely believe that this is a clear sign of a significantly successful year ahead.”
SARLA would like to thank The Old School Group for hosting another successful highlight on their calendar. The Cape Town 10’s tournament’s success was further made possible by SARLA’s loyal sponsors, accommodation supplied by Tsogo Sun and transport by SMG Cape Town.
