WATCH: ERU team spread a little happiness around
In another match on May 28, Boksburg played against Springs Rugby Club and lost 61-17 on their home ground.
East Rand United (ERU) rocked the passionate crowd when it beat North-West University (NWU) 36 -33 in the Valke Peregrine Super League rugby match on May 28.
The match, also used to highlight the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) and substance abuse in the township, was staged at the Reiger Park Sports Arena, and televised live on SABC.
Both sides remained neck and neck for much of the game, fortunately for the ERU that had a 36 -33 lead heading into the final minutes to secure the win.
The heat on the pitch was equally matched by the intense cheers in the packed stands with supporters – little children, middle-aged and elderly men and women along with community leaders, screaming, whistling, clapping and singing with fiery intensity.
A very, very enjoyable match
Immediately after the victory, the Advertiser caught up with the ERU head coach Godfrey Mbange and chairperson of the club, Marius de Vos, to get their thoughts on the thrilling display to win the Saturday match and their performance in the league as a whole.
Mbange said his team played with style and courage, and he added that the standards of this team remain high.
“About today’s game, it’s a great feeling. You know when you are facing so many challenges and then come Saturday and the boys give it all and put their bodies in line and run as much as you told them.
“All the challenges we are facing couldn’t take away from the team’s success. It is our motto to never quit, and we never quitted today. We told ourselves that we are going to fight until the end of the game. I’m very happy with all 23 boys. I love it.”
De Vos echoed Mbange’s remarks and described the match as ‘a very, very enjoyable tournament’. He said aside from debates about the setback brought by the lack of resources the ERU team spread happiness when the township needed it the most.
“I’m thrilled. We had many challenges, ranging from load-shedding to having no lights for a very long time. We also had some challenges in getting our players to the field, but against all odds our players and our coaching team made us proud today.
“We played today against a fully-fledged privileged team, university boys, and we beat them. Come the next game, we will take off where we left off.”
Talking about the game being televised on national TV, De Vos said, “We thank SABC for giving us the opportunity to take club rugby to every household in South Africa today and probably across the world.
“With today’s exposure, the boys have showcased real club rugby in a community plagued with GBV and drug abuse.
“If you look at our players, you could see that these boys are all positively wired and none of them are using drugs. We want the youngsters in this community to take a leaf from their book to be able to leave a positive life.”
Lack of resources
De Vos pointed out that the lack of resources in the township is a setback, but ERU will not allow such challenges to hold the area back from producing fantastic rugby players.
Apart from the club’s financial problems, the facility they are using is continuously targeted by vandals.
“Cable theft is rife here as you can see some of our lights are not working – because the cable had been stolen in some sections of the stadium. Our clubhouse is constantly under attack and has again been targeted a few weeks ago, when windows at the back were broken, and the gate stolen, but, regardless, we are thriving.”
De Vos added these issues were reported to the metro and that he will apply pressure until something is done.
“Obviously, we could have performed much better in our pass games if we had lights. This situation really had a negative impact on our performance so far.
“However, it’ has been my observation over the past few weeks that great resilience was shown by both the players and the coaches yield positive results. That is evident with what we have seen here on the field today.
“What makes matters worse is that there is a security company working 24-hours here without real equipment to protect this facility. For me it is fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
“The officers stationed here are not armed – they have literally nothing. They are here in person and that makes a mockery of security if they cannot protect the stadium against any threat.”
Ward 34 Clr Edith Klassen was also present at the event to support the team and highlight the social ills plaguing the community. She congratulated ERU for the victory against NWU, and also used the opportunity to encourage residents to stand against GBV and other social ills in the area.
Boksburg lost
In another match Boksburg played against Springs Rugby Club and lost 61-17 on their home ground on Saturday, May 28, causing them to be fifth on the log on 11 points.
Coach Rinus van der Linde from Boksburg Rugby said his team started the first half well, but they conceded a lot of penalties, which took the game from them.
“Springs played well. They are the log leaders and they beat us with their quality. We knew they were going to come hard at us.
“We didn’t have the full complement of our squad. Some of our players didn’t train due to illness and because of the current league regulations on illness,” said Van der Linde.
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