After winning the Rugby World Cup four times, South Africa is one of the world’s premier rugby-playing nations.
This feat is unmatched in world rugby, and the signs are there that the Springboks will continue to dominate in years to come.
The main driving force of rugby growth in the country over the years has been the input of private schools, many of whom have poured vast resources into the game. Some of these schools have superb structures in place, and many enlist the services of professional coaches and support staff to train the school teams.
These schools do what colleges do with American athletic teams, which, year after year, dominate the Olympic Games. A few months ago, during an interview, an American Olympics’ official said: “We have a tremendous advantage because of what college athletics does, what it provides and how it has allowed us to not only stock our US Olympic team with collegians, but also end up winning a lot of medals.”
For many years, the bulk of the Springbok team included players formerly from private schools such as Bishops, Paul Roos Gymnasium, Grey College and Paarl Boys High. That is no longer the case, and there are hardly any former private schools players in the national team these days.
The private schools have, however, set a fine example of how best to provide for schoolboy training. As a result, a few government schools, despite the lack of basic resources such as playing fields and professional technical staff, have done very well in preparing their teams for inter-school events.
In many disadvantaged areas, schools have not been able to muster the capacity to offer basic training, but in some cases unattached academies have stepped in to help harness talents in the area.
A decade ago, this is what Murray Ingram, a Cape Town strength and conditioning coach with a keen interest in rugby, set out to do in Khayelitsha, a sprawling township in the Western Cape. He started with after-school rugby coaching sessions.
In no time, more and more boys and girls joined in. Ingram’s academy needed more coaches in the province and soon they were able to enter teams in school events.
Due to the tremendous work done by Ingram and his team at Connect Academy, several players have graduated into the professional ranks. They conclude hooker Lukhanyo Vokozela (Western Province and South Africa Under-20), prop Lamla Nunu (Boland and Junior Springboks), centre Sesethu Mtshazi (WP Women, 2024 captain and Springbok Women), hooker Bulelani Sali (Valke Currie Cup), flyhalf Akha Mjawule, centre Riyaad Bam (both Bulls Currie Cup), centre Haashim Pead (Lions and Junior Springboks) and Sarah Krone (Western Province Women loose forward).
Two products from the academy also ended up in France. They are winger Ridhau Bey (Montpellier Herault) and lock Nicolas Krone (CA Brive).
As a result of the terrific development of the players, several secured bursaries at some of the country’s leading rugby schools. A few Connect Academy products were also capped for the prestigious SA Schools team in the past decade.
In 2022, Connect Academy enjoyed support from the RYOBI #WontQuitCrew programme, which has been assisting athletes around the country in various sports codes.
Richard Stevens of RYOBI Africa said RYOBI was a brand that is very much about building a better tomorrow for all South Africans.
“Whether it is small, personal home improvements, or empowering greater efforts through independent contractors using our products to start a business and generate an income with a ‘won’t quit’ attitude, anything is possible,” said Stevens.
“It is this that drew us into telling unique sports stories and showcasing dynamic South African sports figures with the #WontQuitCrew. Rugby in particular has been an incredible nation-builder in the last decade, and being able to work with Connect Academy on this series, we can showcase a deeper side of the game, and truly define the importance of having a Won’t Quit mentality in all that we do.”