Rhinos to tackle Tri-Nations
The South African Rugby League (SARL) national team, The Rhinos, will soon be taking on the Tri-Nations competition, with five players from the local Bears Rugby League team.
The South African Rugby League (SARL) national team, The Rhinos, will soon be taking on Lebanon and Niue, in a Tri-Nations competition which will be played in South Africa.
In addition to the Tri-Nations competition , the matches, to be played on October 29 and November 2, will also serve as preparation for the Rugby League World Cup qualifiers, to be played next year.
Five players from The Bears Rugby League team, based at the Elsburg Rugby Club grounds, have been named as part of the 15-man squad.
Andries van der Merwe (27), Rudolph Prinsloo (27), Marcelle Viljoen (24), Robin Howell (25) and Zach van Loggenberg (27) are thrilled to have made the national team and look forward to competing against the international powerhouses visiting SA.
“We have faced both teams in the past and are really looking forward to facing them again and improving on our previous results,” said van der Merwe, from Elsburg, when he visited the GCN’s offices on Wednesday.
Players are scouted for the team during their club matches.
“A lot of the people scouted have been selected before, so we all know each other well and there is a good sense of humour among the team members.
“We train and play well as a team,” explained van der Merwe, who has been selected three year on the trot.
The team trains on Saturdays for five hours and on Sundays for six hours.
“The training is intense and includes fitness training, skills training, defensive lines and conditioning.
“You definitely feel the training session the next day,” van der Merwe said.
He explained that rugby league is still relatively small in SA, adding: “I think that league is a lot more entertaining than union games.”
This physical game demands a lot from each of its players.
“It is fast-paced and the 13 players on the field have to be conditioned and well trained to keep up the pace,” he said.
“League combines the best of sevens and union rugby and it rewards you.”
The sport faces many challenges, according to van der Merwe, including a lack of recognition from government and SASCOC.
“I think the problem is that people think if league grows then union will suffer, which I don’t believe is the case,” he said.
“Internationally the game is a lot bigger.”
But van der Merwe and The Rhinos believe that, despite all the struggles, the sport is worth fighting for.
Other articles you may be interested in:
Club’s season ends on a high note
