UNDER 16 COCA-COLA RUGBY YOUTH WEEK KICKS-OFF

The long awaited under-16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Youth Week kicked off at the Tshwane University of Technology today. 

Twenty provincial teams from around the country locked horns and scouts were there in numbers with the hopes of snapping up some of the country’s best young athletes.

The regular strong provincial showing from Western Province, Free State, Lions, Bulls and Sharks continued as they all displayed a strong and entertaining running brand of rugby.

Western Province took on Border in a one sided affair that saw Western Province win by 9 unanswered tries, with 8^th man Khanya Ncusana scoring a hat trick.

KwaZulu-Natal and the Lions played in an evenly tight match up that saw the lead exchange hands a number of times but it was the Lions who hung on to their 5 point lead to see off the Sharks.  Lion’s Wandisile Simelane scooped the man of the match award and contributed 12 of his teams 22 points.

In other matches the Free State dispatched a valiant Eastern Province and Boland edged out Pumas. The Griffons did just enough to comfortably overcome the Red Valke.

The Blue Bulls XV showed little to no mercy as they beat the Border County District team 64 – 3 and Zimbabwe’s Travis Landing did well to set up his team’s 19 – 15 win over the Griquas. The Griquas CD team triumphed in their physical encounter with the Leopards.

Blue Bulls beat South West Districts 40-19 and Namibia beat Limpopo Blue Bulls 29-19 in the final games of the day.

Former Springbok and Blue Bulls scrumhalf Derick Hougaard had this to say about the tournament: “This is an important youth rugby week.  At this age the players are starting to show their worth and I am pleased to see so many scouts are here as they need to identify and nurture the future talent. I also think it’s a great opportunity for players to make a name for themselves before they progress through to the under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week. I also encourage these young players to watch the other provincial teams in action.”

Former SA 7’s Captain Paul Delport attended the first day of play to look for talent for his Springbok 7’s Academy.  “Each team only played one game today and the players need to settle in a bit more, but I have to say that I am impressed so far and there are a couple of youngsters I will keep my eye on tomorrow.  It’s a very important identification stage for SA rugby.  We are all looking for youngsters to place in various elite squads.”

Delport says that looking for 7’s players requires certain qualities.  “We look for different qualities in players to the conventional XV brand of rugby, but it is also important for them to be able to move seamlessly through either code. Those are the kind of guys we are looking for, guys with all-round ability and all round skill that are willing to work hard.”

Play will resume Tuesday at the TUT stadiums in Pretoria and teams will be scheduled head to head according to their performance today.

RESULTS:

Border                         0          vs            Western Province   61                           

KwaZulu-Natal            17        vs            Golden Lions           22   

Free State                    48       vs            Eastern Province    12

Boland                        22       vs            Pumas                      19

Blue Bulls                   40        vs            SWD                        19

B-Field, TUT Stadium

Valke                           6         vs            Griffons                  19

Blue Bulls XV              64        vs            Border CD               3

Griquas                       13        vs            Zimbabwe               15

Griquas CD                 14        vs            Leopards                 12

Namibia                      29        vs            Limpopo Blue Bulls 19

Laerskool Fleur gears up to take on the Proteas!

Winston Phahlane is the latest winner in the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids vs Proteas Tour competition. This will be the 6^th match in the hugely exciting KFC Mini-Cricket Kids vs Proteas Tour will taking place in Pretoria, on Monday the 20^th of January.

Winston entered on behalf of his friend Ntshidiseng Malau, Ntshidiseng’s son, Kagiso and his schools friends will now have, the opportunity to take on the Proteas.

Going into this match the Proteas are the leaders of this tour.. The five matches played so far have resulted in three wins for the Proteas, one for the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids, with the last match between the two sides ending in a tie. Highlights of all the games can be found at www.kfcminicricket.co.za.

Winston often helps single mother Ntshidiseng with giving nine year old Kagiso a lift to and from cricket matches, as she does not have a car. He says that sport is a platform that brings people together, and is also a firm believer that we can continue uniting the country by supporting grassroots sports initiatives like KFC Mini-Cricket. Supporting young Kagiso in getting active and following his dreams is something that is close to his heart.

Both Ntshidiseng and Katlego are huge cricket fans. While mom is very fond of senior Proteas players Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla, Kagiso favours the rising Proteas star Quinton de Kock, who is lighting up the international cricket scene right now.

Kagiso really admires Quinton’s talent and flair, and recently got to get a little closer to his favourite player and other international stars as a ball boy during an international match between the Proteas and Pakistan at Supersport Park Centurion. KFC Mini-Cricket kids countrywide during the KFC T20 Internationals get the opportunity to participate as player escorts, ball boys and even as representatives at the official coin toss.

Kagiso and his mom really enjoy watching cricket at Supersport Park, but to escort one of the Pakistani players onto the field as he did recently, gave him the chance to dream big and see what it is like to be a part of the international stage. Ntshidiseng encourages Kagiso to believe in his dreams and to work hard towards them, and competing against the Proteas, many of whom started their cricketing careers in KFC Mini-Cricket, will go a long way in encouraging him further.

The Proteas team consisting of, Kagiso’s favourite player, Quinton de Kock and fellow team mates Aaron Phangiso, Farhaan Behardien and Chris Morris will no doubt be looking to wrap up the KFC Mini-Cricket vs Proteas tour with a win against Laerskool Fleur, but with huge home team support expected in the form of fellow students and parents; this will of course be no foregone conclusion.

Ntshidiseng is taking the day off work, and together with Winston they will be eagerly watching Kagiso shine and enjoy the opportunity of getting active in this once in a lifetime match.

Players arriving in Pretoria for the Mamelodi Sundowns camp

Twenty two of the most talented under-19 soccer players in the country will gather in Pretoria on Friday where they will attend a week-long training camp at Mamelodi Sundowns. They were selected as those with the most potential at the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup national finals in Durban in August and will now be given the opportunity to develop further.

They will receive training from top development coaches, and get individual attention as well. They will play three games, one of them against the Mamelodi Sundowns first team, and will attend a PSL match.

Mamelodi Sundowns have invited coaches and talent scouts from the first division and PSL clubs to come through and see the players in action.

Mamelodi Sundown’s youth development manager, Shawn Bishop, said there were so many talented players at the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup national finals they felt it important to give them an opportunity to develop further. “Hopefully some of the clubs will then take them that step further,” he said.

One of the invited players is Ofentse Motlhanke, the 19 year-old goalkeeper from Bloemfontein’s HTS Louis Botha, who was named the goalkeeper of the tournament at the national finals. “I think this is a great opportunity for my soccer career, I will be exposed to the best coaching staff,” he said. “I have never attended a camp before, so I don’t really know what happens but I think that I will be taught the technical skills of goalkeeping, and see how other goalkeepers handle the goal posts. I hope that after the camp my goalkeeping skills and mental game will have improved. Being a ’keeper, you need to pre-empt a player’s action, a skill I hope to learn from Sundowns.

Ofentse said that while he didn’t expect to be selected for the camp, it has always been his goal to play at a higher level. “Hopefully this opportunity will take my soccer to much greater heights. Like playing for a PSL or first division team,” he said.

Not surprisingly, Kennedy Mweene, the Sundowns goalkeeper, is his favourite Sundowns player. “He was goalkeeper of the season in 2009, and I hope to meet him and pick his brain a little about the position that we play,” he said. “I would like to ask him how he prepares himself before a match and how he keeps his composure during the game.”

Ofentse will be joined at the camp by his team mate Tani Mpusana, who is 17 years-old and a defender.  Tani says he is very proud to have been selected to attend the camp. “I am filled with a lot of emotions, I can’t really explain it in detail,” he said. “It really means a lot to me and I will try to learn as much as possible.”

Tani’s father Simon Mpusana, who has never played the game before, is more pleased than he is, he says, because he has been the one to encourage him to continue with the sport. “Hopefully when I come back I will have good news for him, like maybe being selected to attend trails for Sundowns.”

At the camp, Tani is hoping to learn about the basics of understanding how to defend and to attack. “I want to learn how to effectively communicate with my team mates, as that’s a problem when it comes to team work. I have noticed that many teams don’t play as a team, they want to shine individually and end up messing up the entire game for everyone.”

Tani was surprised, and happy to be selected to attend the camp. “I never thought I would make it because my performance was not 100%, but now that I know that I made it, I want to work hard at the camp and listen to all the advice that I will get from the coaching staff,” he said.

“I know that all the players will be going all out to be noticed, so I have been training hard and working at improving my strength,” he said. “I train 4 times a week and I play in local games to improve my performance.”

He is looking forward to meeting the Sundowns first team players and said it would be an honour to speak to them one on one. “ I see them on TV all the time and meeting them will encourage me to do better in my soccer career. I look up to all successful soccer players.”

Clapham High School from Pretoria win the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup Gauteng Provincial Final and R100 000

After a tense penalty shootout at the Muckleneuk Stadium, Mamoldi, on Saturday, Clapham High School beat Rosina Sedibane Secondary School to clinch the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup Gauteng title, and the R100 000 prize money that goes with it. Both Clapham and Rosina Sedibane will now play in the national finals of the competition, in Durban, next month.

The majority of the Clapham players are part of the Mamelodi Sundowns Academy. They train at the club and interact with the Sundowns first team. The experience gained there played a big part in their winning the title.  To cheer the boys on there was a large Sundowns contingent including coaches, players and administration staff, as well as the rest of the Clapham scholars

Clapham eliminated the Gauteng defending champion, and last year’s national Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup winners, School of Excellence, beating them 2-0 in the first round of matches. Clapham have not lost a single game in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup tournament so far this year.

There were some surprises on Saturday, one being Sunwood Park High School, who competed in the provincial finals for the first time, and took the bronze medals. The school is based in Boksburg and houses the Deamos Academy, which was started in 2010 by international players, including Patrick Vieira currently a development manager at Manchester City.  The school has a strong connection to France and, in fact, some of the players are going to a training camp there in September and will be watched by scouts from all over the world.

Another school playing for the first time in the tournament was Kibler Park’s Waterstone High School.

The school is relatively new and only started playing soccer last year. They don’t have an under-19 team yet, so sent their u-16s to the tournament.  Their coach, Eoin Fray is from Ireland. He has a Uefa Level A coaching certificate and saw an advert for the coaching position at Waterstone on the FAI Academy website in Ireland. He applied from Ireland, got the job and has been with the team since January.

It is his first time in SA and he hopes to use his experience from Ireland to build the team. The players are talented, but not tactically aware and they lack technique.  “The qualifiers were easy”, he said. “The teams we played were weak and we weren’t sure how we would go in the provincial finals. We got beaten quite convincingly and I realise we are inexperienced and I am going to have to work on their confidence. I’m obviously disappointed at not winning a game, but it is a start and I now know what SA football is all about and next year we’ll be back with a completely different team. It’s been an excellent experience for the players.”

FINAL RESULTS:

Group A                                                                               Group B

Clapham (D3)                                                                     Sunward Park (D6)

School of Excellence ((D17)                                         Waterstone College ((D11)

Tharabollo (D8)                                                                 Rosina Sedibane (D4)

Mohloli ((D7)                                                                     Thaba Jabula ((D10)

1.       Clapham  2 vs 0 School of Excellence

Goals:  Ntando Ngubane (2)

2.       Tharabollo 0 vs 3 Mohloli

Goals:  Mavuso Mahlangu (2), Teboho Ngwenya

3.       Sunward Park 6 vs Waterstone College 0

Goals: Malesela Monene (4), Thandolewethu Maghina, Witness Mathebula

4.       Rosina Sedibane 1  vs  Thaba Jabula 0

Goal:  Skumbujo Mazibuko

5.       School of Excellence 7   vs   Tharabollo 0

Goals: Moshihlaga Abednigo, Mahlambi Pakamani (3), Thabo Lesibe, Gemedi Makhanya, Moshane Kabelo,

6.       Mohloli 0  vs  Clapham 2

Goals: Percy Tau, Simamkele Mantla

7.       Rosina Sedibane 5 vs Waterstone 0

Goals:  Kwela Zulu, Skumbuzo Mazibuko (2), Motsiri Mushama (2)

8.       Sunward Park 4  vs Thaba Jabula 0

Goals:  Thandolwethu Maqhina, Malesela Monone (2), Witness Mathebula

9.       Clapham 10 v Tharabollo 0

Goals:  Motoro Monyai, Themba Madonsela, Thabang Mothigwane (3), Nyembezi Setelele (4) Simamkele Mantla

10.   School of Excellence 1  vs  Mohloli 0

Goal:  Jeffrey Lekanyane

11.   Sunward Park  0 vs Rosina Sedibane 1

Goals: Kunele Zulu

12.   Waterstone College 2 vs Thaba Jabula 3

Goals: WSC:  Clinton Veloza (2)

TJ:  Nhlanhla Mthinyane, Katlegho Kallele, Mangaliso Eland (P)

13.   FINAL:  Rosina Sedibane 0  vs  Clapham HS 0 (Clapham won on penalties).

HOËRSKOOL WONDERBOOM FROM PRETORIA WERE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN WITH A RUGBY LEGEND

John Mitchell, ex-All Blacks player and coach and helped guide the Lions to Currie Cup Victory, went to Hoërskool Wonderboom in Pretoria last week to teach four of their top rugby teams about what it takes to “Power Through” from school boy rugby to Super Rugby and beyond.

He demonstrated new techniques, drills and gave guidance on other performance-related aspects of training, like hydration, before, during and after matches.

It’s not often that school boys get to meet man who has won the Currie Cup and knows what it takes to power through various types of adversity to become a success. The young rugby players from Hoërskool Wonderboom were able to tap into his vast rugby knowledge and learn that they have all got what it takes to “Power Through”, as long as they know that they have to work hard and persevere in whatever they choose to do in life.

Etienne Hellere, flank and Hoërskool Wonderboom 1^st team captain enjoyed the training session and found John very approachable and easy to follow due to the passion that he showed during the Powerade Performance Session.

“John Mitchell was fantastic; as soon as he started with the training session he got immediate support from the players. His dedication to the training session, passion for the game and the fact that he was very serious about his objectives behind the training session helped get us to give all that we had and learn as much as possible in the 2 hours that we trained.”

The training session was not only of benefit to the players but also to the school’s coaches.

Braam Pretorius, coach of Hoërskool Wonderboom’s first team found the session interesting and informative.

“I cannot single out any part of the session that was of more interest as I found the entire training session very valuable,” he said. “John took us through various aspects of the game and then showed us how to put them together in various drills.

“For example, he taught us how to fall when tackled, how to put the ball in a position where you can recycle possession and then how the rest of the team should ruck over the tackled player to guarantee possession.”

“We also enjoyed the passing drills because it reminds the players of how important something simple like passing is and how you can make the ball do the work to gain the advantage line”

Hoërskool Wonderboom has two players that will take part in the Coca-Cola Youth Rugby Weeks taking place in July.  Prop, Ghan Snyders will play in the U16 Grant Khomo Week and Malcolm Fischer, inside centre is the vice captain of the       Coca-Cola U18 Craven Week Bulls squad.

John Mitchell has not only coached a Currie Cup team but he has also coached Super Rugby teams and since Powerade is the official hydration sponsor of the Vodacom Super Rugby, John knows the benefits of what Powerade can offer sportsmen and women.

“Our goal in getting John to schools like Hoërskool Wonderboom is to inspire and motivate young individuals to make sure they maintain their forward momentum and achieve their goals. We know that coaches also play the role of mentor and guidance counselor and we want to empower coaches who will in turn inspire the players,” said Trivern Chetty, Brand Manager- Sports and Energy at The Coca-Cola Company. 

The Powerade Schools Programme does not end with the Powerade Performance Sessions. The coaches that come into contact with Mitchell during these campaigns will also be able to stay up to date with peak performance by means of signing up for the communications, developed by the ex-All Blacks and Lions coach himself. A select group of coaches will receive a training tips newsletter twice a month from John. This communication will take the form of skills training content, pictures and links to video demonstrations from the Powerade Performance Sessions as well as great competitions to participate in.

But the Powerade Schools Programme is far from over. The schools can continue to collect Powerade caps until 14th June. The school that collects the most caps will get tickets for the entire school to go and watch a Super Rugby game in their province.