HOËR LANDBOUSKOOL OAKDALE

Rugby o.19

Oliver

Colby

Wat kan die skool en ouers hierdie jaar te wagte wees van julle span?

`n Groep waar graad 11 en 12 manne mekaar goed aanvul. Die span is gebalanseerd en poog om positiewe rugby te speel.

Hoe is die samestelling van die span vir die toernooi? Enige beserings?

Daar is vier spelers wat reeds die Wit-trui in 2022 aangetrek het en gelukkig is daar geen beserings tans nie.

Waar sou jy sê lê julle krag hierdie jaar?

Ons balans lê by `n gebalanseerde groep en by ‘n span wat teen tempo kan speel.

In jou opinie, wat is die eienskappe van `n goeie rugbyspeler?

‘n Speler wat rugby geniet en homself kan uitleef vir die span en nie vir homself nie.

Wat is jou filosofie as `n afrigter?

Om elke speler te ontwikkel as mens deur die waardevolle lewenslesse wat hulle uit die spel leer.

Is daar enige afrigters waarna jy opkyk?

Harvies Fourie en Jimmy Stonehouse. Albei afrigters waar ek onder gespeel het en wat waarde toegevoeg het in my lewe as mens en afrigter.

How do you motivate your team?

I motivate the team by leading by example in everything I do.

Who is your vice-captain and how does he support you?

Our vice-captain is Renaldo Le Fluer who comes with a lot of experience having playing first XV for the third time this year and who is also a Craven week player.

What do you as a team look forward to this year?

More than anything we want the team to turn into a brotherhood and also, we believe we can be the first Glenwood team to win all their games.

Who is your ultimate Springbok rugby player and why?

My ultimate Springbok is Siya Kolisi. Kolisi and myself have a similar background, when my head is down all I hear is “If he did it I can do it to.”

What can the school and parents expect from your team this year?

We have grown a lot as a team with regards to our maturity so we’re looking for an improved performance overall and I think there’ll be a marked improvement in our results this year.

Are you happy with your team’s line-up for the tournament? Do you have any injuries in your team? We had three pre-season games and managed to get through them without any injuries, so we are happy with that. At this stage, we are happy with the squad that we’ve got.

Where is your strength as a team?

We were good last year in transition from attack to defense. We’ve got great game Breakers in our outside backs. However, I think an area that’s improved for us a lot in the pre-season is our set piece and our forwards’ ability to win collisions. That’s an area that we’ve worked hard at and looking forward to getting something positive out of that.

What are the qualities you look for in young rugby players?

I believe the biggest thing that I look for is character - how does he respond when he makes a mistake. As well as how mature he is, even though he is going to make mistakes. Obviously, the skill set should be at a high standard, but most importantly a player should have character and high work ethic.

What is your philosophy as a coach?

I think our philosophy as coaches changes all the time. I think from a technical perspective we like to play ball in hand, it’s our belief that the game should be played that way. More importantly, it’s about creating an environment in your team where it’s challenging, but there’s opportunities for personal growth and collective growth as a team.

Any coaches you look up to?

Purely on a rugby perspective, Eddie Jones is a guy I’ve always wanted to meet; it’s amazing the longevity that he’s had in the game and the way that he thinks about the game has always been fascinating to me. From a football perspective what Pep Guardiola has done in every single team that he’s been involved in, is also intriguing. Pep has evolved Manchester City in recent years. Lastly, being an Arsenal supporter, I’m really enjoying what Mikel Arteta has done with Arsenal.