Jeppe 1st XV reflect on the season that was
He believe this is due to the exceptional young players coming through the ranks.
The Jeppe Boys first team rugby coach, Reg Hammond, believes the future of Jeppe rugby is looking bright.
He believe this is due to the exceptional young players coming through the ranks.
Coach Hammond, who has been in charge of the team for six years, said they were unbeaten against the big five, namely King Edward VII School (KES), Pretoria High School for Boys, Parktown Boys, Saint Stithians College and St John’s College.
“We were unbeaten against these arch rivals of ours. We also managed to get two nasty monkeys of our back, beating Pretoria Boys in Pretoria for the first time in close to 20 years and beating the Saints at their home ground for the first time in more than 10 years,” said Hammond.
He said they also managed to beat two touring sides, a highly rated Scotts College from Australia that participated at the Saint John’s Festival and King Macklesfield from England.
“We achieved a more than 70 percent win ratio, which is quite decent taking into consideration the quality of the sides we participated against. The only Johannesburg side we lost to was Hoërskool Monument, 24-22. The other games we lost were against Affies, Glenwood, Paarl Boys and Monument and were all within seven points,” said Hammond.
He said the future of Jeppe rugby is certainly looking good. Highlights of the season included five boys being selected for the Golden Lions Craven Week side. Those who were selected for the side include Ricky Nwagbara, Bradley van Waardhuizen, Sibusiso Nkosi, Tshepo Thulo and Sibu Mngomezulu.
Another five boys who played in provincial tournaments were Emmanuel Morowane-Welpies, Hacjivah Dayimani, Jethro De Lange, Andile Ngobe and Siya Mhlongo (academy sides).
Hammond said there areas that need improvement in their game.
“We need to learn to not run close against, but to beat sides that are rated in the top 10 in the country. We need to be more accurate in our execution and show more patience,” said Hammond.
His coaching philosophy is to always create an environment that is conducive for optimal performance and to coach the spirit and focus on the character of the player.
“The body will follow in pursuit. Create a passion for and an understanding of this magnificent game. Include players in the decision-making, cultivate a sense of ownership. Work hard and smart, players must be disciplined but have enough freedom to express themselves,” said Hammond.
He said the mood in the change room after the 17-17 draw against KES recently was that of disappointment.
“We created so many opportunities but we did not manage to convert them into points,” said Hammond.
The Jeppe U/16 side was rated number one in the country.
“There are seven players that played first team rugby this year who will be back in 2015. With all the talent coming through, it is essential to have some experienced players in the team,” said Hammond.
He said junior players to look out for in 2015 are Tyrone Green, Wandile Simelane, Cameron Burke, Jayden Scholtz and Robert De Mornay.
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