It is now just over a month since we would have started the 2020 club rugby season, but of course, due to the nationwide lockdown, this season start has been delayed.
The process is of course out of our hands and we await further announcements from SA Rugby and government. The virus has not only had an impact on rugby but all sport globally.
Due to the nature of the virus, social distancing is required and with this protocol in place we have seen many sports codes shift their attention to the online space. To mitigate the physical activity requirement which is so needed by sports lovers some sports have begun competing online using some very clever technologies.
In the WP Club Rugby circles, many of our clubs have increased their online activity, although now it is slightly different to what we saw in the first few days of lockdown. Initially the focus was on staying fit and conditioned with the hope of a return to play, clubs have now moved on slightly. Even though the online fitness training continue many clubs are now concentrating on building their online content.
It is fascinating to see how many clubs have gone into their archives and pulled out stories and pictures from the past. Clubs are sharing this online and it’s making for some rich and interesting interaction. It has also been good to see that many of our clubs have enlisted the support of their regular volunteers that are a bit more IT savvy and have leant on them to support the digital migration, which again shows that that club rugby certainly has a place for everyone.
The concept of volunteering is nothing new to the world of WP Club Rugby. Volunteerism is, in fact, the fibre of our club structures whether it be administrative or operational and it is in this space that it is heart-warming to see how many of clubs including players have been doing their best to support their neighbours with food and other essential support.
SA Rugby has been hard at work sharing technical information via stream methods. In a recent video SA Rugby referee Rastsa Rasivhenge presented a fascinating video on the tackle law, with some interesting information about the “Jackler”. If you have never heard of a “Jackler” we suggest you watch this video.
We remind our clubs again that we continue the referee recruitment drive and that each club is required to appoint two members from their club to join the referee’s society.
From a DHL Stormers perspective, our players remain active and training hard to return to play at an even higher level. The team has had to make some adjustments in the training department but continue to train with a view to the next game, even though we still wait to see when that might be.
We look forward to the new digital WhatsApp mechanism from African Bank which will allow our members an even simpler way to benefit from our relationship with African Bank and we remind our members to consider the African Bank My World Bank account which has so many free benefits.
On a final note, we remind our members to fully comply with the lockdown regulations as we eagerly await the announcements from the government on regulations for sporting activities.