Grayton Rhode 'skrik vir niks'! The eight-year-old Western Cape schoolboy whose legs have been amputated, recently wowed on the rugby field. Photo: Supplied
Grayton Rhode’s story is one of young guts and glory. In a video doing the rounds on social media, the eight-year-old schoolboy can be seen running circles around his competition on the rugby field.
Just another budding sports star? Think again… little Grayton has no legs.
Five years ago, the legs of the young boy who bobs and weaves like a pro in the video, were amputated due to an infection.
His proud mother, Annie Rhode, told Huisgenoot that Grayton’s biggest wish is just to be treated as a “normal” kid when it comes to sport.
“He is unstoppable. He has the ability and the will to achieve his personal goals on the rugby field.”
Annie says her son – who is a pupil at Stockwell Primary School in Ashton – “skrik vir niks” [not afraid of anything].
“He’s so used to it by now. He has prosthetic legs, but they are too small for him. We need to actually go to the hospital again to get new ones, but he is actually more comfortable without them,” Annie explained.
“He does not feel any pain. When he started going to school, he was shy for about two weeks, but now he has no problem.”
Rugby coach and teacher Gaewinne Niemand admitted to Huisgenoot that he had his doubts about whether the boy would be able to play rugby.
“I was very skeptical at first. When he started school in Grade R, he was in a wheelchair and because our school yard has a lot of stones, the wheelchair was a disaster.”
Stockwell Primary principal and Grayton’s Grade 1 teacher, Beverley Jonas, however, made him see the situation in a different light.
“She called me to come and have a look at how fast he could move around in the classroom on his stumps. That’s when I realised that we should give it a try on the rugby field,” Niemand said.
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In the rugby match which has been captured on video, Grayton only wore his school socks over his stumps.
“He’s so fast! I told one of the parents that if there ever was a Paralympic rugby team for kids like Grayton, he would make a great scrumhalf,” Niemand marvelled.
“He’s so small, but he has a big heart like a scrumhalf. He reminds me a lot of Faf de Klerk and Grant Williams.”
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