Kwabhekilanga girls win gold while boys earn bronze at GRU tournament
Kwabhekilanga Secondary School girls U16 rugby team won gold at the Gauteng Rugby Uprising 2025 tournament, while the U17 boys team finished in the third place, clinching bronze medals.
Kwabhekilanga Secondary School girls U16 rugby team delivered a stellar performance at the Bill Jardine Stadium on Commando Road in the Wibsey Dip area, securing top honours at the Khanyisile Gauteng Rugby Uprising (GRU) 2025 tournament. Kwabhekilanga’s win against Phateng Secondary School earned them gold medals, the tournament trophy, and R10 000 worth of resources.
Their Saturday victory was complemented by the U17 boys’ team, which earned bronze after a determined performance against Thuto Lore Secondary.
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Reflecting on the girls’ performance, coach Jack Moloi said they have demonstrated significant improvement since they started playing in the tournament. “We have about eight new players who joined the team because of the tournament, but now, you cannot even differentiate those who recently started from those who have been playing for the team. That is how good they have adapted.”
Kwabhekilanga’s path to victory included two matches over the weekend, a semi-final against Mandisa Shiceka High School and a final against Phateng. Moloi described the semi-final as a straightforward win. “We were not even fully switched on yet. It was a one-sided game. Our players took control early and kept scoring. In the first game, we wanted our forwards to take control while the backline conserved energy for the final.” In the final, the backline stepped up, applying pressure and scoring most of the tries.
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Meanwhile, Kwabhekilanga boys’ team defeated Thuto Lore to finish off the tournament in third place. Coach Andile Kahla reflected on the boys’ squad’s turnaround. “Last week’s 5–0 loss to the same team was tough. We spent the week focused on redeeming ourselves.”
Kahla acknowledged that while third place is not the goal most teams aim for, it was important to end the tournament positively. “We needed to finish strong, and the boys did just that.” He further credited Thuto Lore’s defence, noting that they made a lot of right calls when blocking Kwabhekilanga’s attacks. Going forward, Kahla said they need to go back to the drawing board and plan for next year.
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