VRYHEID KZN: Rugby legends celebrate club’s 100th year

100 years of rugby was celebrated in one exciting day filled with three games and an official function. Vryheid Rugby Club turned 100 earlier this year, but due to lockdown, the club was unable to celebrate this milestone. On Saturday, it all came together when old and current players celebrated a rather wet and rainy day on and off the rugby field…

The day was ‘kicked off’ by a combined team called The Renegades, who took on The Bears from Ladysmith. The Bears are a fairly young and upcoming team, and experience proved to be the deciding factor in this match. The Renegades took the win with a score of 49-0. Bear in mind that one of the oldest players also took the field at the age of 59 years old! During this momentous game, two fathers and two sons played together.

In the second game, Vryheid’s second team took on Newcastle’s second team. It was a tough encounter, since part of the game was played with rain pelting down. Ox Ngema scored a try for Vryheid, while Ndumiso Dludla added points to the scoreboard with a penalty kick. Vryheid sadly lost 8-10 though.

The final match of the day was a true ‘Clash of the Titans’, when Vryheid’s first team butted heads with Newcastle’s first team. Newcastle initially took the lead, but Vryheid didn’t back down and fought all the way to the end whistle to record a great win of 38-31. Jaco Maritz, Danie Nel, Spha Ndlangamandla and Ndumiso Dludla scored tries during this nail-biting game. Chris Zietsman converted three tries and slotted four penalty kicks.

Ruan Combrinck made an appearance in the celebration of the 100-year reunion by playing fly-half for The Renegades, even though he normally plays right wing. The Vryheid Herald had the opportunity to have a quick interview with this Vryheid-born rugby legend. He completed his primary school career at Lucas Meyer, after which he received a scholarship to Michael House. This was a stepping stone for his rugby career. He played Craven Week for Natal and under 19 for the Sharks when they won the Under 19 Currie Cup. He then played three years for Western Province while studying at Stellenbosch University. He joined the Lions team in 2011, where he played eight years. Ruan also wore the green and gold jersey a few times during Test matches. After his eight years with the Lions, he decided to make a change and joined a team in France for a year, after which he retired for 16 months due to injuries. He received a call from the Blue Bulls in June this year and played for them for five months. Ruan is 31 years old now, and says that the life-span of rugby players is normally 28 or 29 years. “If you haven’t played professional rugby by the age of 25 or 26, you’re probably not going to make it,” Ruan believes. He is retired for now and will join his family on their farm in Babanango. “Ons sal maar sien wat die toekoms inhou; wat moet gebeur sal gebeur” is his answer on what the future has in store for him.

Ruan has a strong connection with Vryheid Rugby Club. His father played for the club; his grandfather was also involved; as well as his uncle, Jan Combrinck, who was an excellent player in his day and the chairman of the club.

Ruan describes The Renegades’ game as fun and a reminder of what the game is all about, even though he plays professionally and that is his main source of income. “Partykeer moet ‘n ou teruggaan en onthou hoekom jy begin speel het.”

Ruan says that if you believe in yourself, even when you come from the ‘Platteland’, you can make it in the ‘big leagues’. “As jy nie iets bereik het nie, het jy nie hard genoeg geglo nie. Alles kom terug na selfdissipline en as jy hard werk en glo, gaan iemand jou raaksien.”

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