The Rhodes University Rugby Club held its annual awards dinner on Saturday, following an impressive season which saw their first XV qualify for the Varsity Shield.
The Rhodes University Rugby Club held its annual awards dinner on Saturday, following an impressive season which saw their first XV qualify for the Varsity Shield.
Former Springbok hooker Delarey Du Preez, a childhood friend of team manager Elize Everton, was the guest speaker. The former Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Border Bulldogs star had some motivational for the players who will carry Rhodes into their first Varsity Shield tournament.
“My message to you guys is: just play this beautiful game of rugby and enjoy it, and whatever happens will happen. If you’ve got the skill and you’ve got the talent, your coach will mould it for you and he’ll make sure you guys will be seen,” said du Preez, who played two tests for the Springboks in 2002.
“Set yourself those goals. We were always told ‘Do you want to play in the Currie Cup or do you want to play for the Currie Cup,’ which is a big difference. Think about it. Do you want to play for that Varsity Shield? Do you want to play for the cup?”
Uzu Nyanda, Devon Barnard and Jono Braans were the biggest winners on the night, as they shared the Tim Muirhead trophy for Rhodes rugby’s player of the year.
Barnard also scooped the Collegians Trophy for the most dedicated player on and off the field, while Braans picked up the Paul Vogel Memorial Award for the first team player who consistently displayed the most courage.
First team coach Qondakele Sompondo also gave a speech, in which he hailed his players for changing the culture of Rhodes rugby and instilling a competitive edge.
He revealed that when he started coaching the team in 2012, his plan had been to focus on youth and build a side around the likes of Jürgen Stroebel and 2016 captain Marcus Nel, who were key players in this year’s squad. However, he said that the time had come to begin a new cycle.
With as much rigour as ever, Sompondo laid out the mandate for his club one last time this year, stating: “[When the senior players depart], what’s going to be very important is that we forget about them, but we try and encourage this new generation of players, who don’t know where they are heading, to be brave enough to face the future with the hope that they are re-writing history books.”
The full list of award winners:
- Internal league player of the year: Cameron Doyle
- Internal league trophy: Heathens
- Most outstanding U21 player: Sean Biggs
- Most improved U21 player: Jethro Anderson
- Most dedicated junior backline player: Brett Pringle
- Most dedicated junior frontline player: Brian Welman
- Most outstanding Phoenix player: Keagan Fischer
- Most improved Phoenix player: Ruben Scholtz
- Most dedicated Phoenix backline player: Allan Gowar
- Most dedicated Phoenix frontline player: Liam Yell
- Most dedicated 1st XV backline player: Marcus Nel
- Most dedicated 1st XV frontline player: Jurgen Stroebel & Chris Whiting
- Most significant contribution to U21 rugby: Sean Biggs
- Tim Muirhead Trophy for player of the year: Uzu Nyanda, Devon Barnard & Jono Braans
- Paul Kincaid Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship: Thabiso Sithole
- Steve Olivier Trophy for coaches: Jono Bellingan
- Paul Vogel Memorial award for the first team player who has consistently displayed the most courage: Jono Braans
UPDATE: An earlier version of this article stated that first team coach Qondakele Sompondo was stepping down from his position. Although this was initially his plan, we have since learned that he has reversed his decision after being asked to stay on.
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