Ballito Dolphins muscle up in pre-season training
There is already a tangible positive spirit within the group, who will train in the gym until February with a Christmas break in between.
The Ballito Dolphins are already busy building brawn and fitness in preparation for next year’s return of a full rugby season.
With two sessions weekly at Ringside Boxing Gym, the preliminary squad of around 30 players have been pushing through the off-season blues.
This year’s season was one of two halves as the Dolphins laced up in the first division, one below the premiership.
Match days and training were heavily affected by the April/May floods and a lack of squad depth that was exacerbated by Mandeni creating their own team.
This meant there were a few hard outings early on, but once some players had joined and the Maidstone facilities became more accessible, the team rallied fully.
A perfect example of the turnaround was the Dolphins’ two battles with Harlequins, one of the strongest teams in the division.
“We lost by 70 points in the first match, which was obviously tough on the guys. But in our match of the season, we narrowly lost out 12-18 just a few months later, showing how well we had recovered,” said head coach, Craig Dawson.
They did enough to stay in the division and are hoping to field two full teams with proper depth. Around 40 regular players are necessary for this to work and the Dolphins are constantly on the lookout for their next star.
A huge boon for the club this year was that they secured practice facilities at Umhlali Preparatory School.
“In the seven years I have been with the Dolphins, this will be the first time we can practice near Ballito with a full field and lights. It makes a huge difference and we hope to see more of the community joining in,” he said.
There is already a tangible spirit within the group, who will train in the gym until February with a Christmas break in between.
Once the fitness is at the best level, the on-field training will begin in March, with the season kicking off in April.
“We will most certainly be the fittest team and hope that having legs in the second half will move the needle in the right direction,” said Dawson.
To join Ballito’s local rugby club or offer sponsorship which could help with match day transport costs, contact chairman Mark Svenningsen at 078 013 2991.
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