Rugga

THE Eastern Province Rugby Union Grand Challenge Cup returns after a two-week break, with teams gearing up for the second round of fixtures at various fields in Nelson Mandela Bay tomorrow.

One of the games will feature a cracking club derby when traditional rivals Gardens and Harlequins meet at the Derrick Ferreira Stadium in Uitenhage.

Fireworks have often been the order of the day when these sides square up and tomorrow should be no exception.

Harlequins are second in group B, trailing Park by three points, while Gardens will be hoping to maintain their unbeaten run after nine games.

Home-ground advantage should give them added confidence.

The visitors will be looking to prove themselves after losing their last encounter with Garden in the Super 12 competition.

Both sides have had impressive campaigns in the Grand Challenge, bagging 43 and 37 points respectively.

EPRU have decided to proceed with the top five teams in group A of the first round to be paired with group B’s bottom five teams.

Gardens and Parks go into the next round as the teams to look out for as they showed their ability in collecting 43 and 40 points respectively from nine games.

The matches will start at 3.30pm.

Development

Vuka U15 tournament set to identify young talent

Yonela Mofu mofuy@timesmedia.co.za

THE second annual Vuka U15 rugby tournament is set to take 22 Nelson Bay Mandela Bay township schools by storm in March.

This will add significant numbers to the already passionate youngsters taking part from 50 other Eastern Cape high schools.

They will play 343 home and away games to decide a champion school.

EP High Schools, in partnership with the EP Rugby Union, will look to employ 72 coaches to assist with quality coaching and high-performance training.

Vuka Eastern Province coordinator Gerald Anthony said the core purpose of the tournament was to revive rugby at disadvantaged schools and to unearth hidden talent in those communities.

“We want to build a good foundation for our EP Kings that will be consistent for the future,” Anthony said.

The tournament will start with a mass participation programme: nine schools in a zone will go up against each other in home and away games.

From this competition, the best players will be selected to represent their region of Nelson Mandela Bay.

Outstanding players will compete in the Iqhawe tournament, similar to the annual Craven Week competition.

Eastern Province U18 girls’ coach Namhla Siyolo, a former women’s Springbok No8, who will coach Zwide’s Nzondelelo High School, said the tournament had a positive influence on youngsters aspiring to play top-level rugby.

“Vuka means a lot to these kids as they travel and see places and rugby legends they thought they would never see.

“The sport keeps them away from drugs and other mischief,” Siyolo said.

In addition to keeping the youngsters out of trouble, the tournament provides a platform for outstanding players to receive scholarships from more affluent schools in the region.

“A total of 32 children will be selected from the competition to play for EP U16.

“Others may receive scholarships from schools like Grey High and others in the province,” she said.

The initiative is funded by Saru in partnership with South African Rugby Legends.

Regional Vuka manager Jessie Claassen said: “It is imperative to use people from the community” – referring to the legends.

“It is better for the youngsters to learn from their local role models so that they can develop their communities.”

The fixtures are lined up to rotate every Wednesday afternoon at various schools in the province.

Afcon

Bay hopes on Zimbabwe victory in Afcon contest

Yonela Mofu mofuy@timesmedia.co.za

ZIMBABWE have emerged as the favourites to clinch the Africa Cup of Nations, which starts tomorrow.

In a snap poll conducted this week, Bay residents have given the Zimbabwe Warriors an astounding thumbs up.

But many voiced their disappointment at South Africa not qualifying for tournament.

Gabon have qualified automatically as hosts of this year’s continental showpiece.

Zimbabwe have been paired with 1990 champions Algeria, 2004 champions Tunisia and Senegal in Group B.

Gabon and Guinea-Bissau play the first game at 6pm tomorrow, followed by Burkina Fasso and Cameroon at 9pm.

Charity Cup

Victoria Park in commandat Charity Cup

High school’s boys and girls dominate all divisions

Yonela Mofu mofuy@timesmedia.co.za

VICTORIA Park High School dominated all three divisions of the NMMU 15th Charity Cup  soccer  tournament at the weekend.

Under-16 boys and girls as well as U19s from various schools in Nelson Mandela Bay competed in the annual charity event on Saturday.

In an U19 girls encounter, Victoria Park High proved too strong for a spirited Linkside team.

Two goals, without reply, from the tournament’s top goal scorer, Tiffany Korkie, sealed the victory for Victoria Park for the second consecutive year.

VP also earned a well-deserved victory over old foes Chapman to clinch the U16 boys title in a tense game that had to be settled by penalty kicks.

Victoria Park goalkeeper Sakhumzi Silara was the hero, making two brilliant saves to deny Chapman and give his team the bragging rights.

In the final match, Arcadia High’s U19 boys also came up against Victoria Park. Both teams had an impressive campaign, brushing aside all competitors in the round robin stages.

On their way to the finals, Arcadia High beat five of their competitors.

In the final, Arcadia were 1-0 up after five minutes, with an excellent goal by centre back Lester Haaroff.

In the second half, VP changed to a 3-4-3 strategy – and it almost immediately proved to be a winner when striker Sinalo Gantsho was brought down in the penalty area.

Keegan Assam, the top U19 boys goal scorer at the event, stepped up and equalised from the penalty spot.

Athini Komani, one of the best players of the tournament, dribbled past two defenders before passing to midfielder Thabo Mbem, who missed the target with an open goal in sight.

The tenacious player, however, made amends two minutes later when he stole into the Arcadia box with some fancy footwork.

A second penalty kick was awarded when a dangerous tackle brought Mbem down inside the area.

Assam was again at hand to convert, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, to hand Victoria Park a 2-1 win.

The R5000 raised from the NMMU schools’ tournament will be presented to the Isithembiso Babies Home in Walmer.

Local football

THE Northern Areas Football Association (Nafa) is gearing up for the Easter tournament after the draw at the Nafa Hall, Gelvan Grounds, on Wednesday.

The 43rd annual tournament has been expanded and will include teams from the Vodacom and Castle leagues, who had been ruled out in the competition previously.

Teams from Uitenhage and Cape Town will join the lineup this year.

The renowned tournament will have 20 teams and 300-odd players in the senior event.

“Running a tournament for 43 years is not easy and that is why Nafa is constantly faced with the pressure of introducing new ideas to the tournament to keep the people interested,” committee member Vincent Heinz said.

Nafa president Clive Kilian said: “The tournament has become part of the DNA of the northern areas community and we pride ourselves with the positive outcomes it has with the youth.

“We need more knowledgeable coaches who have the skill of identifying talented players.

“This competition works hand in hand with giving youth a healthy lifestyle,” Kilian said.

“It seeks and breeds excellence, while it also deters from the bad activities in these poverty stricken communities.”

Valentine Brink, a legend of the tournament, said it had grown in leaps since its establishment.

“The young men in the Easter tournament get an incredible amount of exposure,” Brink said.

The event starts on April 14.

Chilli Boys

THE Chilli Boys are eager to retain their title in the  Engen  U18 Knockout Challenge which is set to kick off at the Gelvandale fields next week.

This year’s tournament will deviate from the norm by including U18s in the set-up in an attempt to track progress and maintain continuity.

Tournament director Victor Burton said: “We have been working closely with the Local Football Associations [LFA] to make sure that we get the best teams from the region.

“The move from U17 to U18 will mean we have stronger boys and better competition.

“We are looking forward to seeing how the newcomers compete against the bigger teams.

“We hope at least three boys get scouted from the competition and put Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape on the map.”

Nelson Mandela Bay Safa president Simphiwe Mkhangelwa said: “The changes will help us determine whether or not the players are nurtured and developed accordingly.

“We also hope to assess the improvement of the players,” he said.

“We particularly hope to see more goals in the competition or tightly contested matches.

“We have invested a lot in coaching because we are serious about the development of football and moulding young players’ talent.”

New arrivals to the competition, Friendly City, Young Ideas and Fast XI, will be looking to make their mark against the bigger teams.

The Chilli Boys are eager to get things under way as they have been preparing for the contest.

U17 coach Siyabulela Gwambi said: “We have been preparing since last year, when we got back from the Champ of Champs competition.

“Our boys play in the senior league regardless of being under 18. We have basically been preparing throughout the year. This is why we have been defending the competition for two years now.

“Our mission is to now maintain the standard of football we have shown in defending our title.”

The three-day tournament will end with an awards ceremony.

Fixtures:

LOCAL Heroes

By YONELA MOFU WALTER Sisulu University (WSU) broke the hearts of Port Elizabeth Harlequins when they won their Eastern Cape Super 12 club rugby fixture 14-12 at the Adcock Stadium on Saturday. The “All Blacks” snatched the spoils in what proved to be a nail-biting clash. Both teams displayed an eagerness to win in their first match of the tournament but in the end it was WSU who came out on top. The first 10 minutes between the sides proved to be equally contested as both teams made good use of their chances in the rucks. The home side showed brilliance with the ball in hand attacking whenever they could and also using the wind to their advantage. Harlequins got the upper hand in the 20th minute when WSU lock Bongile Ntoko was yellow carded for a high tackle. The home side sneaked in two back-to-back tries through speedy left wing Irvin Kapara and right wing Chessy Lewack. The home side were denied their third try when flank Ricky Williams knocked on the ball five metres from the tryline. WSU got off to a good start in the second half when skipper and lock Lelo Gamashe scored their first try from a well executed set piece by the forwards. Bongani Zwane kicked the conversion. Frustration got the better of Harlequins when they started deviating from the form they had shown in the first half. They were seen defending deep into their territory with their forwards working overtime. WSU capitalised on the infringements made by the home side and Gamashe got in for his second try in the dying minutes. A cool-headed Zwane then broke the hearts of the home side when he converted the try with just three minutes on the clock to close out the victory. Harlequins assistant coach Sebastian Hilpert said: “It was a tight game and the opposition used the wind to their advantage. Going into the next game we will stick to our game plan and obviously adjust a few things.” WSU head coach Andile Ndondose said: “We definitely need to go back to the drawing and fix all the problems we had in the first half. Our players just need to build on their chemistry so that everything gels on the field.”

RISE_Kolisi_RISE

Kolisi's mark in the Springbok squad this past weekend has been a beacon of hope for local young rugby players in the Eastern Cape.

The rock solid counter rucking, 16 ball carries and numerous line breaks have seen the bouyant player rise to the top of his career.

Having had  a career doomed with a number of serious knee and ankle injuries, Kolisi continues to show Bok fans what a formidable force he can be.