Olé! Patrick lives rugby dream in Spain
Due to financial constraints, he returned to the South Coast in 2017 and worked as a sports intern at Creston College for a few months.
The South Coast prides itself on rugby, boasting stars of international club rugby quality with the likes of former Sheppie High first team captain and prefect, Patrick Sikhosana of Shelly Beach.
He is currently playing as loosehead prop for Majadahonda Rugby Club, a Spanish team in the División de Honor B de Rugby (DHB) league, the second highest league in Spain.
Photo: Neil Cheek
According to Patrick, the move was not an easy decision as there were plenty of personal factors to consider before making the decision.
“I moved to Spain in October 2018. My brother Agreement was also a big factor in making this decision. I was unsure, scared and I didn’t want to leave my mother at home. But he kept me motivated and believed in me when most people didn’t. One of the main reasons I also decided to go to Spain was that when I was playing for Varsity College, I was working and playing my heart out to get a Sharks contract, but no matter what I did or how well I played, the contract never came.”
On completing his high school rugby career that saw him make the 2012 KwaZulu-Natal Craven Week team, Patrick enrolled at Varsity College in 2016 where he studied for a Diploma in sports management and development.
Due to financial constraints, he returned to the South Coast in 2017 and worked as a sports intern at Creston College for a few months.
He then received a life-changing call from former South Coast Warriors player and coach Lodie van Staden, who was coaching in Spain at the time.
“I was still training just as hard. We had a long chat as I have known him since I played U9 rugby and he told me that if I wanted an opportunity to play rugby in Spain, he was there for me. By October 2018 I was in Spain,” he said.
Since his move, Patrick’s first season saw him play for Industriales Las Rozas, before he made the move to his current club.
“Industriales Las Rozas was an amazing team, and they helped me so much off the field as well, and for that I will forever appreciate that club.”
Like most players, Majadahonda has returned to training with the season expected to resume in September this year, while they await the summer.
South Coast residents can watch all DHB games live on YouTube on the Spanish Federation page which has all the games streamed live on game day.
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