smells like "team" spirit

SMELLS LIKE “TEAM” SPIRIT Lionel Langenhoven takes the reins as UWC rugby interim head coach

By Myolisi Gophe Image UWC Media

Continuing with strategic plans and the welfare of players were central to UWC’s appointment of Lionel Langenhoven as the interim head coach of the University’s rugby team in the absence of the late Chester Williams. Langenhoven, who served as assistant coach to Williams for four years, alongside former Springbok star Bolla Conradie, is at the helm of the team for the second season of the FNB Varsity Cup, South Africa’s premier university rugby competition, this year.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity and, together with the rest of the coaches, we will do our best to honour the values that Chester put in place here. We’ve got to adhere to that legacy and make it even stronger and better,” says Langenhoven. The former head coach of Kuils River and Brackenfell rugby clubs is fully aware of the pressure that comes with the promotion-relegation season and says the team is up to the task. “We have done well in the Western Province League. I’m challenging myself and the boys to do well in the Varsity Cup, too. With the type of talent we have, we will not disappoint.” Langenhoven, who also coached the Western Province amateur side for five years, revealed that the team has retained about 85 percent of last year’s players. Nine new “interesting” faces have been recruited but the final team will depend on whether the players make the grade academically.

The UWC team is not short of inspiration with stars such as Herschel Jantjies and Kurt-Lee Arendse making their debut in the senior Springboks and Springboks Sevens teams, respectively, while Lyle Hendricks was named as part of the Stormers squad for the 2020 Vodacom Super Rugby tournament.

“Their achievements have lifted the spirit of the team immensely,” says Langenhoven. “What Herschel and Kurt-Lee achieved is possible for everyone. Those two are our ambassadors. Next year, we want to strengthen our resolve to be the people’s team because we are a very diverse university, and together we can move mountains.”

“We have just lost Chester Williams. Many, especially the players, are still struggling to come to terms with his death,” explains UWC Director of Sport, Mandla Gagayi, on the logic behind Langenhoven’s appointment. “Had we brought in a new coach, it might have left the players feeling overwhelmed. A new coach may not understand what the players are going through. For this reason, we have decided to allow them to grieve while working with familiar faces.”

Gagayi adds that Williams worked closely with Langenhoven and Conradie during his recruitment drive for the 2020 season.“It would have been unfair for a new coach to inherit a team that he or she did not even have a say in during the recruitment process. These coaches have been part of the recruitment decisions and have been part of the team for four seasons. They know Chester’s ethos and they have developed a playing style that the players are familiar with,” he adds.

Gagayi says the late Williams joined UWC very late, just before the start of his first season. He inherited a team and had a dismal first season.

With 2020 being a promotion-relegation season in the Varsity Cup, Langenhoven and his team have a mandate to keep UWC in the competition. The hopes are high that they have learnt from their debut season.

Gagayi drives home the fact that Williams involved his assistants in every decisionmaking process. Langenhoven even led the team at the USSA Games and in the Western Province Super League A, where UWC finished in the top six. The team ended just two points behind second-placed University of Cape Town (UCT) – a first in the club’s history.