Mlambo makes a case for kasi rugby
ALEXANDRA – 17-year-old rugby player Mthandazo Mlambo hopes township children are not sidelined from the sport.
From the tender age of 12, local star rugby player, Mthandazo Mlambo dreamt of a career in the sport.
But Mlambo’s encounter with rugby was purely coincidental. “I used to play rugby with some of the children from the township for fun,” he said. “I later found out that some of my other friends played rugby, so I went with them to practice once.”
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Since that day, Mlambo took an interest in the sport and soon after joined a local rugby team. “On that day, I followed my friends to practice and I found out that it is not as rough as many people believe it is.”
Now 17, he currently plays in the backline for the Alex Wolves, and last year he was the most awarded player in the team at their annual awards ceremony.
He was awarded Backline Player of the Year, Player’s Player of the Year and Player of the Year.
Speaking of his achievements, Mlambo said he was happy because it showed that he had a promising future ahead of him. “I was shocked to receive three awards. I did not expect it, so it came as a pleasant surprise.
“The Player’s Player of the Year award proved that my teammates believe in me. [But] the awards were not my own, it was a team effort so the whole team deserves them.”
Mlambo is saddened by how township rugby is being sidelined. “There is a lot of potential from township kids, but we are not being recognised. There are also kids who see rugby on TV and have an interest in it, but don’t know that we have teams in townships.”
He said the South African Rugby Union (Saru) should start recognising township rugby teams if it wanted to include players of colour in recognised teams.
“There are talks of transformation from Saru but they are overlooking townships. How will we reach transformation if townships are always sidelined?”
Mlambo added that young people who were interested in a career in rugby should not give up on their dream and should be persistent. “If you want something, go for it. Always make sure that you work hard to reach your goals. There is no greater reward than that.”
He said he received a lot of support from his family who always encouraged him to do his best so that he could reach his goals.
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Mlambo is looking forward to the upcoming rugby season and is convinced the team will do well.
Some of his goals are to play for the Sharks, the Lions and ultimately the Springboks.
