THERE’S no doubt that opportunity knocks for the South Coast Warriors this year, especially considering the local team will be playing in the province’s premier league.
It’s exciting and already the vibe at the club is a good one.
But first up is the Nashua South Coast Sevens, which will be hosted at Douglas Mitchell Sports Ground on Saturday, February 27.
This year it is expected to be even bigger and better, with 20 teams having entered, from as far afield as Tzaneen, Phalaborwa, Pretoria and Maclear, in the Eastern Cape.
The tournament will start at 8am with the final to be played at around 6pm. Full details of the fixtures will be available at a later stage.
In general, things are going well for the Warriors, despite some major changes over the last while.
In terms of new players, there are apparently quite a few interesting recruits who will be kept secret for the time being.
Head coach from last year, Christo Henderson, said that the club did not want to give away too much at this stage.
“We have also been very fortunate to get a big inflow of players who played U20 last year who are now part of the senior squad. As a coach it is pleasing to have internal competition for positions and it makes it easier when a club has proper depth,” he said.
The captaincy hasn’t been announced yet, but last year’s captain Juan van den Berg proved to be an outstanding leader and will obviously be in contention for the honour again.
Looking ahead, the coach felt it was a huge privilege to gain promotion but warned that the players would have to work extremely hard to stay in the premier league.
“We will take it game by game and ensure that we are in the best possible physical condition,” he said.
He said the players were looking forward to the opportunity of playing premier league rugby. “We will not stand back for any big name players and will do what the Warriors have become known for and that is make sure our defence is world class.”
The league (Moor Cup) only starts on April 2, with fixtures only being released next week.
But there is plenty of rugby before that.
After the Sevens, it’s off to Matatiele on Saturday, March 5 for the Usher Cup.
Then there’s a friendly against Westville Old Boys in Durban on Saturday, March 12.
This will be followed by a friendly against Kapaailand on Saturday, March 19, with the venue still to be confirmed.
The coaching staff has been bolstered by the arrival of former Valke lock Martin Lombaard as first team assistant coach/forwards coach.
David van Zyl will coach the seconds, and Dawie Snyman the U20s.
Manie Cloete is the new club president, ably assisted by several vice-presidents covering various portfolios, namely Ettienne Nell, André Koekemoer, Riaan Coleman, David van Zyl and Danie van Tonder
Lulu Bodla is a non-executive member, while Angi Strachan is club secretary and Pieter Smith club captain.
Practices are held at Douglas Mitchell Sports Ground every Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm.
