Two years ago, Cape Peninsula of Technology (CPUT) rugby merged its Bellville and Wellington teams. This was to strengthen the team and add depth to prepare us for the USSA (University Sports South Africa) games.

 

CPUT’s Rugby Club is currently registered under the Boland Rugby Union and participates annually in the second highest rugby league in the Boland region. USSA is the controlling body of all sports played at tertiary institutions in South Africa.

 

In 2012, the CPUT rugby team (also known as ‘Tekkies’) went to the finals of the USSA tournament but fell short against the Free State’s Central University of Technology (CUT). A victory in the final would have resulted in the Tekkies’ playing a knock-out match against the University of KwaZulu-Natal in order to secure prestigious participation in the Varsity Shield Cup.

 

By the end of the 2012, player participation started to decline, particularly on the Bellville campus. Some of the players complained about the travelling distance to Thursday practises that took place in Wellington. Some even said that they kept returning home ‘too tired to do their assignments’.

 

The Tekkies went on to win the Boland League and were promoted to the Boland President League (in the Rural League).

Sakkie Booysen, head of the sport department of CPUT, states: “The aim is to combine all three campuses (Bellville, Wellington and Cape Town) and qualify for the Varsity Shield.”

 

CPUT is trying to get the Cape Town campus to join up with the rest of its counterparts, but the Cape Town rugby team is currently playing in the University of Cape Town’s Residence league.

 

“By having more rugby seven sides, we hope to attract more players to the sport and hopefully improve our game,” explains Booysen to GASmag.

 

A lack of finances has been a challenge facing the CPUT rugby team and has diluted its fan base.

 

“We cannot pay players because we do not have the compensatory system in place,” adds Booysen. He also explains that they are trying to organise an event for the players to show how much their loyalty is appreciated.

 

These problems become insignificant as the Tekkies went on to win their group in the USSA championship that was held in Pretoria. This means that the boys will go on to compete in a promotion group where they will stand a chance to play in the Varsity Shield. This opportunity will be a major mental and financial boost.

 

Recent triumphs include a 33-17 victory against Mangosuthu University of Technology, an 18-16 win against Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and an 82-0 thrashing of the University of Limpopo.

 

The successful tournament has sparked tremendous enthusiasm and interest in students that would like to become a part of the Tekkies’ winning culture. A staggering number of aspiring rugby players have joined the club and are prepared to maintain the team’s winning ways.

 

According to Booysen, CPUT is also planning to establish a women’s rugby division. This will be a major step in promoting the sport in general and would also uplift the interest and acknowledgement of women’s sports.

 

We at GASmag want you to support the Tekkies whenever you can on Saturdays for matches and ‘like’ their Facebook page ‘CPUT Rugby Club’: www.facebook.com/CputRugbyClub.   

 

If you want to get involved in this success story and are interested in playing for either the male or female division, please contact Sakkie Booysen on 021 959 6319 or visit this link for more details: www.cput.ac.za/students/life/sports