UJ ready for sevens tournament

AUCKLAND PARK – Orange Army ready for their next rugby challenge taking place from 4 October.

October 6, 2019

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The University of Johannesburg women's sevens rugby team is (back) Mbuyiselo Siqebengu (coach) Liphiwe Nxasana (conditioning coach), Emelia Ndhlovu, Joy Cheptoo, Lerato Mokhojoe, Nontobeko Ntombela, Fatima Diallo, Confidence Nthimole, Tumi Leseke (manager) with (front) Siyethemba Khanyile, Priscillar Sithole, Voice Ndou, Lesego Malebadi, Nthabiseng Ncalane. Photo: Kimara Singh

For the last year, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has been hard at work as they prepared themselves for their next rugby challenge.

On 4 and 5 October they will be taking part in the Varsity Sevens rugby tournament and they will use the event as a chance to prove themselves. The event, which takes place at Pirates Club in Greenside will include a women’s category for the first time, with four teams participating.

Team manager Tumi Leseke said the FNB UJ Imbokodo were fired up to make an impact at the tournament, “This is a huge day for women’s sevens rugby and I feel it is right to include us in these sorts of events. The conditioning of our rugby players is on a professional level and the climate in rugby is now one that allows female rugby players to drop the prefix and be seen as just rugby players.”

The inaugural event will have just four teams playing in, they include UJ, the University of Pretoria, KwaZulu-Natal and Fort Hare. Leseke said the small group would definitely make the competition that much tougher. She has shared the goals for the team as they go into the tournament, “Winning is always ideal but a top-two finish wouldn’t hurt either. We are also in it to learn because not many female teams get this honour. We want to absorb everything we can, whether it is on the field or on the sidelines as the management.”

The squad’s depth and experience will benefit them suggested Leseke. UJ looks forward to the performance of its latest recruit Nthabiseng Ncalane. She was part of the national U20 team that won an international tournament in Zimbabwe. Leseke added, “We also have Voice Ndou who was in the USSA team for the World Student Games and Lesego Malebadi, a member of the WEPRU team [SA B side] who played in the Dubai HSBC sevens in 2018.”

This will be the orange army’s fourth tournament of the year. They competed in the Golden Lions sevens tournament, Centrale sevens tournament, Jozi league, and University Sport South Africa (USSA) event. They will be bringing the same level of intensity as they did in the past events.

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