Western Province Rugby said farewell to a long-serving administrator at the end of November 2013, with Theo Kleynhans stepping down from his role as the GM of Youth Rugby.

Kleynhans, a long-time schoolmaster, first began working for Western Province during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, having also previously served as SA Schools (rugby) secretary and the vice-Chairman of WP Primary Schools Rugby.

He then moved into a full-time role at WP Rugby in 1996 (as the manager of youth rugby), before becoming the General Manager of Youth Rugby where he continued to serve the union with distinction.

“I have had many, many highlights in my 17 years at Western Province,” Theo told www.wprugby.com, “too many to single out.

“Of course, 2013 was a very successful time for us – across all our schools teams – but I was very privileged to have come across many talented players and teams under the Western Province banner during my time (here).

“For me though, it”s not just about on-field results, but also looking back at pride with the Under-13 Craven dgfev online casino Week tournament we hosted at Paarl Gym and the Under-18 Craven Week we put on at Paul Roos.

“More than anything I will miss watching players progress from Under-13 level to full senior level with WP and beyond (as international players). But even though I have now retired I will certainly be watching players like Frans Malherbe and Cheslin Kolbe, to name just two, and to see how far they continue to progress.”