Amanzimtoti Rugby Club has gained another experienced coach. Njabulo Owen Masinga, fondly known as Owen, has recently joined the club as a forwards coach for the U20 team.
He grew up in Umlazi and attended school at Assegai Primary School and matriculated at Glenwood Boys High School.
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Owen was 13-years-old when he realised he had a love for rugby and started playing with his peers. It was then that he decided that rugby was way better than soccer and became an avid player of the sport. Once he scored his first try, he knew that he was hooked.
As a player, Owen has represented KZN Academy, western province clubs and KwaZulu-Natal clubs. He has coached the first division reserve league team where they won twice, and the KZN women’s league team, who won five times among other outstanding achievements.
“I started playing as a prop for Assegai Primary School. I then moved to Glenwood Boys High School where I made the 1st XV and went on to make the KZN academy side. After school I started university, but decided to take a gap year. It was then that I decided to play club rugby for Glenwood Old Boys (Now Varsity College). Shortly thereafter I went to Stellenbosch University to study LLB, still playing rugby. While at Stellenbosch I made the western province club’s team. I later returned to Durban to finish my studies at UKZN where I switched to industrial relations, and in so doing, I went back to playing rugby for Jaguars. My knees started giving me problems which is why I decided to stop playing. A few years later a friend of mine asked me to help coach Mangosuthu University. We won the league that year and I stayed in coaching, and the following year, we won for the second time. This was when I knew I had found my place in the game. I then moved to Jaguars to coach with Donald Ngwenya and to give back to my old club. I was the head coach for the 2nd XV and we went on to win the league twice,” said Owen.
“Women’s rugby was to be my next coaching position. I chose women’s rugby as the season would be shorter allowing me more time to focus on my family. I am proud to say the Jaguars women’s team won the league five times. My next step was to become assistant head coach for the KZN women’s team for three years.”
At present Owen is excited to be at Amanzimtoti Rugby Club in the capacity of the forwards coach for the U20 side.
“Toti Rugby Club has always been a great club for me with a rich history for the game and amazing talent. I want to help the club get back to those standards. Toti teams have always been respected and feared on the field. Those days need to comeback.”
Seniors train on Tuesday and Thursday at 18:00 and juniors on Monday and Wednesday also at 18:00.
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