One week. That is how long former Eastern Province (EP) rugby player Zandile Gxala had to get together an under 16 women’s team for Winter Rose Rugby Club.
One week. That is how long former Eastern Province (EP) rugby player Zandile Gxala had to get together an under 16 women’s team for Winter Rose Rugby Club.
Gxala got the call from Eastern Province women’s rugby coordinator Dorothy Tsotsobe on a Saturday in May. On Sunday she managed to gather enough first timers to make a team. On Monday she started training the players, most of who come from her Clay Court neighbourhood.
At EP trials in Port Elizabeth (PE) the following Saturday, two learners who had never played rugby before were selected to play for their province. 16-year-old lock Akhona Mantashe made it to the June tournament in George. Mantashe has a 10-year-old sister who is the youngest player of the new Winter Rose under 16 team. Siphelele Mantashe loves everything about rugby but is shy about answering questions.
“She’s not that shy when the game is on,” says Creshwill Du Plessis, assistant coach for the team. “She’s very serious. That’s what I like about the ladies team.” Along with coach Godfrey Hutchinson, they train the players four times a week on an open field in Fingo Village or at Miki Yili stadium if they can get a booking. “It’s nice to keep them off the streets,” says Du Plessis, who believes that rugby is a good alternative to visiting taverns.
Wanderers Rugby Club also recently started an under 16 women’s team. Manager Yivani Peter says the trend to start younger women’s teams comes from EP rugby’s dedication to developing women’s rugby.
Youngsters from the two teams and a combined Port Alfred team will celebrate Women’s Day by competing as an under 16 sub-union team for the South Eastern District Rugby Union (Sedru). They will play against six other sub-union Metro Games at Telkom Park Rugby Stadium in PE. Tstotsobe says Eastern Province will be keeping their eyes peeled for not only provincial, but for national potential.
