Tuks women on their way to Dubai Sevens again
Despite their everlasting struggle to fund their travels, the TUKS Women sevens rugby team is looking forward to play against international opposition again in the upcoming Dubai Sevens tournament.
TUKS Women’s Rugby 7s will be competing in the prestigious Emirates Dubai 7s invitational tournament again this year.
This is the team’s seventh consecutive participation in Dubai as part of the International Invitation Women’s division, in which the TUKS team plays as a club team against top national teams.
This year, the Emirates Dubai 7s tournament – one of the most popular tournaments in the international Sevens series – will be held from 3 to 5 December and the organisers are expecting more than 100 000 spectators over the three day period.
TUKS Women’s Rugby players proudly represent South African rugby in international tournaments. Many times, they are the only South African team invited to certain 7s tournaments and have worked hard to get to the international level they are currently playing at.
They are role models for all young South African girls who are passionate about the game.
In these days of gender equality at all levels, it is indeed a pity that a team at this level is still struggling to finance their basic activities.
For the upcoming Dubai tournament the team still requires at least another R100 000 only to cover basic costs for a minimum number of players.
The team’s coach, Riaan van der Merwe, would prefer to take an additional two girls on tour, but this would require even more money.
With less than a month to go, the TUKS Women’s Rugby 7s team is looking for organisations and individuals who are willing to become a part of the team’s successes, providing much-needed funding through donations or sponsorship.
Coach Van der Merwe has been with TUKS Women’s Rugby since 2002. His experience, perseverance and efforts have paid off. The original team played its first international game at home in 2003 against the Washington DC Furies.
Van der Merwe has taken his team all over the world. In 2006 the team played in its first tournament overseas – the Loule 7s tournament.
They have since continuously participated in tournaments such as the Stanislas 7s in northeastern France, the Centrale 7s in Paris and the Dubai 7s tournament. The team has also received invitations to the West Coast 7s and Los Vegas 7s tournaments.
Among their recent achievements was their victory in the plate final at the Stanislas 7s tournament in Nancy, France in May this year.
They also competed successfully in the Centrale (Paris) 7s a week later. At these tournaments the TUKS team played, among others, against the national teams of Hungary, Belgium, Romania, Norway, France and Switzerland.
Not surprisingly, the TUKS team has contributed 8 players to the Woman’s Springbok Sevens rugby team during the last two years.
Even with all this success, the team has struggled to accept invitations to international tournaments due to the cost factor. Sponsorships and donations play an important role in ensuring the TUKS Women’s Rugby 7s team stays competitive and are able to compete at international level.
Moreover, almost all the team members are either students or from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. The high costs involved in international tournaments therefore have quite a toll.
For enquiries, please contact the TUKS Woman’s rugby marketing manager Livia Branga-Peicu at brangapeicu.livia@gmail.com or on 072-192-7100.
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