On a Saturday morning, two weeks ago the Belhar Rugby Football Club stood at the foot of Steenbras dam, determined to conquer the mighty 3.5km uphill battle.
Irvin October, former Springbok fullback, Belhar’s newly-appointed head coach, then decided to take the rugby team for a training session in his home town, Strand.
Irvin, with the assistance of his assistant coach, Ebrahim Beukes, decided to take the road less travelled.
The forwards were given a 10-minute head start as the backline players waited patiently to try and catch up to them.
Physical fitness plays a big role in the game of rugby, but mental toughness plays an even bigger role. The steep road to Steenbras dam tested the mental toughness over the physical fitness of the players.
Rugby is a brotherhood; it is people of all races, ages, backgrounds and all walks of life coming together to achieve one ultimate goal.
The brotherhood could be seen when they were cheering on the players who were struggling to finish.
The players appeared to have heads turning at Strand beach when they took to the water for further team-building exercises. Beukes could be seen leading the players into the ocean as they were linked up by their arms and performed a series of tasks.
The objective of this activity was to promote communication and place emphasis on teamwork. “Teamwork makes the dream work,” says Beukes.
“We need to rebuild our clubs culture, and get the players as well as management working towards one goal. We need to work on getting our players conditioned to take on any team in the league and to win the league; thus we can play in the Super League A, where we belong.”
He adds: “We need to show respect for each other and our opponents. Our vision for this year is to take it game by game and not look back.”
Belhar’s 7-A-side team started the year off with a bang, beating the University of the Western Cape’s Sevens team 24-7 in the cup final, winning the annual Darling 7s tournament for the second time in a row. Belhar RFC was established in 1992 by Arthur Booysen, who saw the need for youth development in his community.
Jerome Booysen, Arthur’s son, is currently the president of the club. Jerome, also a former Springbok scrumhalf, is passionate about youth development through rugby.
Belhar RFC’s vision has always been to uplift the community standard of living and to reach out to those in need. The club is currently busy with community outreach projects in to empower the youth of Belhar and prevent them succumbing to their circumstances.
Contact Heinrich Overmeyer 081 417 7291, or Aneesah Adams at 079 774 4169 or aneesahadams@mweb. co.za for more information. Aneesah Adams is the strength and conditioning coach of the Belhar Rugby Football Club
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