Roodepark shines at Golden Lions LSEN trials

Free of the rigidity and pressure of the classroom, the freedom of the open rugby field is a great equaliser.

Roodepark School hosted the western section of the Golden Lions Rugby Union’s LSEN Sevens trials on August 28. The Saturday morning drizzle cleared and the sun shone on a free-flowing display of entertaining sevens rugby. Players were chopped and changed throughout six 15-minute games that gave the cream a chance to gradually rise to the top, impressing the coaches on the sidelines.

Learners with special educational needs have their own league structures but pathways do exist to give them an opportunity to test themselves against learners from mainstream schools. Each professional union in the country has a LSEN programme, and as a precursor to the Craven Week, LSEN teams from each union play to pick a national team that gets to play in the mainstream Craven Week.

“Some of the LSEN players only take up the game as teenagers, putting them at a disadvantage with boys who have been playing since seven or eight years old at a mainstream school. This gives them a platform to develop in the sport and should they perform, they will be able to show this to local clubs as an accomplishment,” said Golden Lions LSEN coach, Jannie Venter.

In the pre-coronavirus days, this pathway extended to the full 15-man game, but less time and fewer numbers have forced an inevitable adjustment. Sevens rugby is thus a perfect compromise that gets players on the field and applause in the grandstand. A total of 13 Roodepark boys made the cut and will form the bulk of the western contingent who will meet up with their eastern counterparts to fight for places in the Golden Lions LSEN team to travel to the Craven Week in October.