Locals air their views on cancellation of club rugby this year
SA Rugby was left with little choice but to finally pull the plug
The South African Rugby Union, simply known as SA Rugby these days, recently confirmed the long-time inevitable news of the country’s club rugby season being cancelled for the year.
The most loyal rugby lovers across the country had club rugby as one of their last few reasons to remain optimistic to somehow get at least a glimpse of come oval ball action, but with time fast running out combined with the latest unrelenting wave of the coronavirus pandemic, SA Rugby was left with little choice but to finally pull the plug.
The Advertiser talked to the Boksburg rugby community to find out their respective thoughts and positions in these unprecedented times.
Alvandre Maart (East Rand United head coach)
“I think the decision is in everyone’s best interest: rugby is a contact sport and it’s crucial for everyone to maintain social distancing at this time. Hopefully, all players will be fit when we start off-season training.”
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Deon Smit (Makopano Boksburg Rugby Club loose forward)
“It’s obviously very disappointing that there will be no rugby this year as a lot of our guys in the squad are getting quite old. I believe this year was going to be one of the toughest years to date and I feel like Boksburg had a good chance in winning the league after the nail-biter we had against Centurion in the friendly, but we will make it happen as soon as we can.
“But there’s always one more year. Saturdays are just not the same anymore. We hope and pray things will work out the way they should. Next year will be a cracker, I can’t wait to be out playing again.”
Cameron Rooi (East Rand United utility back)
“It’s not a good feeling but what?s happening in South Africa is more important, our lives are more important. I’m just glad our rugby is not taken away forever. If we work together and follow the policies of this pandemic, we can overcome this and everything can get back to normal as quick as possible. But, yes, I’ll definitely miss rugby because we don’t know yet when it’s going to start in 2021.”
Derrick Sampson (former East Rand United coach)
“In my more than 30 years in rugby, this is the first time that we actually have not participated in any sport. But it gives us an opportunity to search our souls, to find ourselves and be with family because this pandemic you can’t associate with people. Like I said, for the first time in over 30 years, this is the first time where I could not coach. It’s one of those things that we don’t have a say over.
“It was an unseen thing and we don’t know much about this virus: is it airborne? There are speculations, people are dying: it’s corona here, corona there. But it gives us way to plan and to sit down and see the future differently. We were actually caught off guard by this pandemic, but it’s time to rebuild and see how we can develop our children. Change their minds in terms of certain challenges in the country. We don’t know what is happening and what’s going to happen. I cannot wait to get back to rugby.”
Tiffney Thorpe (Boksburg forward, Henrico Thorpe’s wife and rugby fan)
“It is truly bittersweet: sweet being I get my husband on weekends to myself and I get to have dinner at a normal time on Tuesdays and Thursdays (practice days for Henrico at Prince George Park), but the bitter part is the reality of the change the pandemic has caused. Not seeing your rugby family and having a drink afterwards at the club. I think the biggest thing is that I don’t get to see my husband play the thing he loves almost more than me.
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