Rugby season suspension to continue

The suspension of club rugby, due to the Covid-19 third wave, has been extended by South African Rugby.
Clubs were informed on Monday. The feeling around rugby circles is that the 2021 season will be abandoned.

“I don’t think it (the suspension) will change,” said Brakpan Rugby Club’s chairperson Harry Nieuwenhuis. The pandemic halted the 2020 season before it even started and this year, Brakpan only played three matches in the Valke Peregrine League before the season was stopped.

“It is very difficult to see how we can continue with the virus. It is two seasons now and that is obviously disappointing to all the clubs,” said Nieuwenhuis.

“In 2020, we had a very good side, which included (former Springbok) Jacques Potgieter.”

Although things are difficult at the moment, the chairperson said Brakpan can see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

“We are keeping a positive attitude. We are in regular contact with the players who are doing what they can to keep fit. Most of the management staff has already had their first jab of the vaccine so things might be better later in the year. By next year, I think everyone will be vaccinated,” he said.

The communication between the club’s management and the players has let Nieuwenhuis know that the players are looking after themselves.

“Our club was one of the first to have positive cases when the third wave started. But over the last two weeks, there hasn’t been any new cases,” said the Brakpan man. The club also knows that they will have to rebuild a lot in 2022.

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“There are two groups of players, which are the youngsters and also the established players. Rugby is not the number one priority to the older players. They have families and jobs, which are understandably more important to them. The younger players, on the other hand, are always ready for rugby,” said Nieuwenhuis.

“After two years of not much rugby, it will be very easy for some of the older players to decide to walk away from the sport. So we will have to see what happens.”

Brakpan, however, knows that they will still have the players who were in their u-19 side in 2019. The team made it to the finals of the Valke League that year.

Things might be clearer later in the year as Brakpan hopes they can start planning for the 2022 season in October.
This could include them finally celebrating the centenary year. Those celebrations would have taken place this year had it not been for Covid-19.

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