One of the most exciting new events in SA school`s rugby, the Carfind.co.za Iqhawe Week kicks off for the 2017 edition at the Bill Jardine Stadium in Johannesburg on October 2nd and continues until October 5th 2017. This development rugby tournament, which was initiated by the SA Rugby Legends Association, aims to bring together representative U15 development teams from the 14 rugby unions in South Africa. Talented young athletes, many of whom are from underprivileged areas, have a chance to showcase their abilities through this event, and could even have a shot at a bursary from traditional rugby-playing schools. The Carfind.co.za Iqhawe Week is part of SARLA’s broader mandate to use sport as a tool for social upliftment, and other initiatives in its rugby development programme include Vuka Rugby and the Legends Cup.
The tournament is endorsed by SA Rugby as an official Youth Week and is hosted in partnership with the City of Johannesburg. Previous years have seen tight matches, big wins and a thrilling week of excellent rugby. As Stefan Terblanche, CEO of SARLA comments, “Last year’s event unearthed some incredible raw talent and those youngsters have gone onto achieve even further in their regions.” Terblanche and SARLA leadership have worked tirelessly to ensure that the Vuka Rugby programme structures put in place at various unions around the country will bear fruit, and it has. Young players from all levels of society are beginning to access the same opportunities as those from the more established “rugby schools” and are getting the same benefits from training and competing.
Terblanche goes on to say, “This is a special year for rugby in South Africa, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Springboks winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 25th anniversary of the unification of rugby in South Africa. SARLA believes that the values of rugby, such as sportsmanship, dedication and integrity, can help transform the lives of young South Africans. This is why we, as SA Rugby Legends, are proud to be a part of the transformation of the game and will continue to contribute to the development of rugby at all levels. Terblanche also extends his gratitude to the City of Johannesburg for their support of, and assistance with, this initiative.
“There is no doubting that the Carfind.co.za Iqhawe Week is firmly on the map as one of the country’s definitive rugby development showcases, thanks to SA Rugby’s official acknowledgement of the tournament as one of their official youth weeks. Now in our 2nd year of sponsoring the Carfind.co.za Iqhawe Week, we are proud of the association and the progress made within the tournament,” said Mike de Charmoy, the managing director of Carfind.co.za. “Furthermore, as a proudly South African company are proud to be part of the Carfind.co.za Iqhawe Week where it’s not only about the one week of the tournament, but more about the year-long programme around the country that gets underprivileged youngsters onto the playing fields with opportunity to develop their skills and unlock their potential. Carfind.co.za through our sponsorship of the Carfind.co.za Iqhawe Week are excited to know that we are helping create potential opportunities for the youth of South Africa, and for this we thank SARLA and SARU for the opportunity and wish them everything of the best with their 2017 Carfind.co.za Iqhawe Week tournament.”
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