Rugby teammates are mates for life: South
African Rugby Legends Association (SARLA) CEO, Stefan Terblanche, and his former
Osprey’s
teammate, Welsh international James Storey, have proven this to be true by
working together to bring joy to young rugby players from underprivileged areas
in South Africa.
United in rugby, Stefan and James keep in
regular contact, which is how James heard about SARLA’s Vuka Rugby development programme, which
helps to promote rugby at grassroots level and give children from disadvantaged
areas the opportunity to play rugby. Like any other sport, it boosts their
self-esteem and teaches them about discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship. James
runs Junior Sharks Rugby, a successful rugby coaching company in the UK and he
immediately saw a way to contribute to Vuka through a charity drive focusing on
rugby boots and other gear.
Junior Sharks Rugby is named after Great
White Sharks, by James’ son who has always been fascinated with the
animals. It offers quality coaching to young rugby players around the
Hertfordshire area and, in turn, contributes towards the development of rugby
in the region. James first got the idea of setting up a boot charity when he
toured South Africa with Wales in 2002 and spent some time at a coaching clinic
where a huge number of children arrived barefoot. The memory of these
youngsters, who played rugby with no boots on, but still managed to have huge
smiles on their faces, stayed with him. When his son, now 8, started playing
rugby and growing out of his boots each season, he saw the growing pile of
virtually brand-new rugby boots and realised that the gear could serve a worthy
cause.
“I remembered Stefan sharing stories about
the great work that was being done by SARLA and the Vuka Rugby programme",
recalls James. "The young athletes I work with are so privileged to have
access to boots and other gear and we all wanted to use that privilege to help
other young players who aren't as fortunate."
The boot charity is being run by Junior
Sharks Rugby and they have already collected 100 pairs of rugby boots of all
sizes, waiting to be sent to South Africa. Local clubs and schools from the
Hertfordshire area have been contributing and the collection is gaining
momentum via word of mouth and social media. With the current 2016 / 2017 rugby
season drawing to a close, James is expecting many more pairs of boots and
other types of rugby gear to be added to the pile.
“We are so excited that James and the Junior
Sharks Rugby programme have reached out to Vuka", said SARLA CEO, Stefan
Terblanche. “Our work in
previously disadvantaged areas has brought rugby to many talented young players,
but they find it difficult to play without the right equipment.” He adds, "Donations from initiatives such as this
one goes a long way towards helping us achieve our goals and we are grateful
for the fantastic support all the way from the UK!"
According to SARLA President Gavin Varejes,
“SARLA and Vuka Rugby are very thankful for
the donations and we will make sure that it is all put to good use. The
children we work with will be thrilled and we can’t wait to see the smiles on their faces.”
“I’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received here in
Hertfordshire and am amazed at how the boots keep coming in”, said James. “The Junior Sharks are proud to be able to
help SARLA and to encourage children from all walks of life to play this
incredible sport.”
SARLA’s logistics sponsor, DSV, have also come on
board to arrange for the delivery of the boots from the UK.
Anyone based in the UK who needs more
information or wanting to contribute to the boot collection drive can contact
James at juniorsharksrugby@yahoo.com.
For those based in
South Africa, please contact info@sarugbylegends.com.
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