Byron has sights set on deaf rugby world cup

RUGBY player, Byron Windt, will run onto the field in the first South African Deaf Rugby Union (SADRU) rugby tour from 1 to 8 March.

SADRU was an idea that was resurrected in 2007 by a team of deaf and hard of hearing players who were determined to bring deaf rugby back to South Africa and by doing so raise deaf awareness in the country. Their aim was to enter a team in the Deaf Rugby World Cup which will be held in England in 2015.

Currently the team is unable to represent South Africa at an international level as they are waiting affiliation from SARU, something it hopes to achieve within the next few months, following backing from at least four unions in SA.

Bryon,who hails from Glenwood, will be playing for the DeafBoks, as they are more commonly known. Byron, who was schooled at St Henry’s Marist Brothers, played rugby throughout school. He went on to play for the UKZN varsity side for two years. Later, in 2011 he played some rugby for an English side in Henley called the Henley Hawks, and realised how much he missed the game. He returned to UKZN and currently plays for the varsity side.

“I wasn’t born deaf, however when I was three I fell ill with mumps. The swelling was so severe that it crushed the central nerve to my ear, and I now have neural deafness in my left ear. My rugby career only started when I turned 14. I was never allowed to play in school but was intrigued one afternoon watching some of the guys training for pre-season. The coach suggested I join in the session and it sparked my passion for the game from there. I guess the reason I enjoyed playing so much was that I had previously not been allowed to play until I stood up for what I wanted to do and pursued it,” he said.

The first team he played for was the U14A, and then he managed to play U15A and B, moving on to the third team and 2nds, and finally in matric he made the 1st XV squad where he played between firsts and seconds.

“After school I went on to join UKZN Howard College, where I played U20As with a number of friends who followed from school. I gave up rugby after the partying of first and second year at varsity began to take over and only played again in 2011, while over in the UK. This sparked a flame that I hadn’t felt in years and it made me excited to get back into the game on my return to SA, where I joined UKZN, where I currently play,” he said.

It wasn’t until last year, and his introduction to Mark Barnard who had then joined UKZN, that Bryon knew anything about the DeafBoks.

“I had no idea that I could actually qualify for anything like this, as I figured, well, I could hear perfectly in one ear so one deaf ear wouldn’t count. It was a good surpise!

Mark mentioned there was going to possibly be a tour the following year and to keep training hard in order to be ready in case a tour materialised. And when it did, I was pleasantly surprised with a Facebook notification stating I had qualified for the squad!” said Bryon.

He said he was very excited for this tour as he is eager to meet his team mates and train together, although he may have to learn sign language in order to communicate properly.

“But nevertheless, I’m eager to get the tour underway and play some more rugby. It will be interesting playing against my home team. My goal this year is to get involved with the DeafBoks and help get the ball rolling so that we can get out there and start playing some rugby soon. I also aim to enjoy my rugby this year and play for the love of it. Ultimately, my goal is to get the DeafBoks to the Deaf World Cup in 2015, that would be the highlight of my rugby career! I’m very excited to see what the future holds” said Byron.

Byron is a Civil Engineer at SMEC SA. His other hobbies include diving, spearfisihing, and occasionally surfing.

The SADRU tour will see the DeafBoks take the first step of their long journey to reach the Deaf Rugby World Cup. The 32 man team comprises of deaf and hard of hearing players from the Western Province, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. It will be coached by Kyle Bowe-Taylor and Luther van de Merwe and backed by sports psychologist Dr Leon van Niekerk. Former Springbok scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen has joined as SADRU patron.