Community urged to back our boys
Saturday sees the kick-off of the eagerly-awaited 2014 Cell C Community Cup, and the people of Brakpan and the East Rand community at large are encouraged to back the team.
The Community Cup, South Africa’s elite club rugby tournament, was introduced last year and has been instrumental in the revival of club rugby in communities across South Africa.
Brakpan made an instant impact in last year’s tournament and fought tooth and nail to achieve the status of the third best club team in the land after winning the plate final against Rustenburg Impalas.
This came after an unfortunate last-minute try by College Rovers in the semi-finals, which resulted from what seemed a clear forward pass, cost the “Panne” a deserved place in the final against eventual winners GAP Despatch.
Captain Francois “Bones” Robbertse and his chargers will be looking to go one better this year and claim the famous old Gold Cup and will get their task going on Saturday, at Pelican Park in Wellington, Boland, against Roses United.
“We are well prepared for the tournament and are confident that we will have a good start in Wellington.
“It’s crucial to start with a win,” said Brakpan Rugby Club’s chairman, Harry Nieuwenhuis.
New ground will be broken at Bosman Stadium on Thursday, March 20, when Brakpan, face arch-rivals Boksburg Rugby Club in an eagerly-anticipated Pool C match that will be televised on SuperSport 1 and HD (channel 201 or 211 on DSTV) with kick-off at 6pm.
The East Rand derby will represent the first time open-club rugby has occupied a prime-time TV slot on a weeknight.
Speaking about this exciting derby match-up Nieuwenhuis said: “We have established a committee between ourselves and Boksburg’s management to ensure that we work together with our communities and all of our schools to get as much supporters as possible into Bosman Stadium on March 20.
“We will hold competitions and we want to request all the people in all the surrounding communities to support both the clubs similar to the Varsity Cup.”
He added that the following day is a public holiday so the fans can really enjoy themselves.
“We must make this game a success, so that more games will be televised in future, which will benefit all club rugby on the East Rand,” Nieuwenhuis said, adding that Brakpan has a great working relationship with Boksburg.
“We respect their team, but there won’t be any sentiments on the field of play,” he concluded.
