Two British schools met for a historic rugby clash this week to raise funds for fellow players of the game here in Grahamstown.
Two British schools met for a historic rugby clash this week to raise funds for fellow players of the game here in Grahamstown.
Tonbridge School and Kirkham Grammar School played the benefit rugby match on Wednesday 16 October with the proceeds going to the Graeme College Scholarship Foundation.
Tonbridge won their first ever game against Kirkham 29-13.
Kirkham has ties with Graeme dating back to 2007 when they played the Grahamstonians on their South Africa tour.
Subsequently the schools' first-team coaches Aled Trenhaile (Kirkham) and Pierre Jacobs (Graeme) established a rugby player exchange programme.
Jacobs said Kirkham teacher James Walker is the driving force behind the school's support of the Scholarship Foundation, as well as being the mastermind behind the benefit match.
“Kirkham Grammar School's support has allowed first-team captain and centre Gordon-Wayne Plaatjes to spend 2013 in (Graeme hostel) Grant House,” said Jacobs.
The Foundation supports rugby players at Graeme in difficult circumstances.
Tonbridge also has strong ties with Graeme.
A former Tonbridge first-team rugby coach and house master of the school's Judde House, Graeme Gales, once coached Graeme's current first-team coach, Jacobs.
This was in 1997 during his year in South Africa on a teacher exchange programme.
“Graeme Gales and the men of Judde House at Tonbridge School have raised a significant amount in support of the Scholarship Foundation,” Jacobs said. “This has afforded first-team prop Siyasanga Mthathi the opportunity to spend 2013 and 2014 in Grant House.”
“We at Graeme College would like to express our sincerest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to Kirkham Grammar School and Tonbridge School in the UK for planning to play this benefit rugby match in support of our Scholarship Foundation.”
The Scholarship Foundation was born out of a concern for the well-being of players on the first rugby team when it was discovered that many of them faced difficult challenges in their daily lives.
