UJ junior rugby heads for provincials

Lesego Maja

lesegomaja@caxton.co.za

They might not be a provincial team, but they sure can give the provincial teams a run for their money.

The UJ Junior Rugby Club is taking part in the Inter-Provincial Tournament (IPT) which is taking place at Menlo Park High School in Pretoria, from 23 to 28 September.

On 21 August, the young players received kit bags courtesy of Ram Hand-to-Hand Couriers and Henson Engineering, preparing them for the tournament ahead. The bags contained full tracksuits, caps and t-shirts among other gaming gear essentials.

Senior manager, Martin La Cock, has high hopes for teams that are participating in the tournament as he believes they will inflict serious victory damage on the other teams.

“We are going as a single club, competing with provincial teams, and I'm telling you we are going to take them to the wire, and I am sure we are actually going to win this tournament” La Cock said.

The UJ junior rugby club consist of under-nines, right through to under-18, with the under-13 to under-18 teams competing in the tournament.

La Cock believes that the club is more than just a sports facility, but also a vehicle through which discipline is taught.

“We go a lot on discipline. A lot of these children that could be running around in the streets at night are here every Tuesday and Thursday night practicing from 6pm to 8pm and are therefore too tired to go around being mischievous,” said La Cock.

“So we are keeping these children off the streets and letting them do something constructive,” he added.

The UJ Junior Rugby Club relies purely on sponsors, with the coaches providing their services at no cost.