Port Elizabeth

Stories from the glory days of South African rugby and a look ahead at the 2015 Rugby World Cup contributed to the theme of leaving a lasting legacy for Madibaz rugby during the Bok Banter fundraiser at NMMU on Thursday night. A host of former Springbok skippers, World Cup winners and stalwarts from days gone by came together at their alma mater in support of plans to build a rugby clubhouse near the north-western edge of the Madibaz Stadium. Close to 600 guests attended the event at the Vodacom NMMU Indoor Sports Centre, which served as a fundraiser for the proposed R3.2-million clubhouse. "Legacies are hard to leave behind, but we hope to create a home for Madibaz rugby. A place where players from the past, present and future can come together to support their team," said former Springbok scrumhalf Garth Wright. An auction of signed rugby memorabilia kick-started the fundraising effort and contributed R28 000 to the clubhouse construction. Wright was joined on stage by, among others, former Bok flanker and NMMU sports manager Bernard Petersen and recent international rugby hall of fame inductee Danie Gerber. They were followed by Bok skippers Hannes Marais and Andre Vos, and 1995 World Cup winners Hennie le Roux, Hannes Strydom and Garry Pagel, who were joined by 2007 winning team manager Zola Yeye. Television presenter Gavin Cowley, a rugby legend himself, played master of ceremonies and got the Springboks to share their knowledge and insights with the guests. Looking at the current state of rugby in South Africa former Bok centre Eben Olivier shared his concerns about a Springbok structure focusing more on size than skill, and the possible "over-coaching" of professional players. "In some cases, bad coaching is worse than no coaching at all. I think a lot of the guys receive too much coaching and not enough freedom to express themselves on the field." Old Bok forward Schalk Burger snr echoed this by saying rugby is a "socio-cultural …

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The SPAR NMMU Madibaz netball team are aiming to get their 2015 Varsity Netball campaign off to a good start when they take on Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town in a double-header on Sunday and Monday. The team from Port Elizabeth will face hosts Maties at the Coetzenburg Indoor Centre in Sunday afternoon's opening match and Ikeys at the same venue the following evening. The Madibaz will be one of eight competing universities that also include defending champions University of the Free State (Kovsies), University of Pretoria (Tuks), Vaal University of Technology (VUT), North-West University (Pukke) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ). According to netball manager Theresa le Roux, this year's Madibaz team has a good mix of youth and experience, with five new players joining the side. "With no teams in the A section in the local Eastern Province league it was quite challenging to get game time but otherwise our preparations have been going well," said Le Roux. She said the Madibaz were aiming to move up the rankings after finishing fifth last year. They took sixth spot overall at the University Sport South Africa tournament earlier this season. Le Roux said the Madibaz's focus for this year's Varsity Netball campaign was to give the younger players the opportunity to play at a high level of competition. She said their strong senior defenders would anchor the team this year. "Nobu Phuza and Hlumisa Sithonga have been playing top netball at the moment. Nobu was just included in the South Africa senior netball squad," she said. Mione Marais will lead the side with Arne Rust as her vice-captain for the tournament. "Our first game against Maties will be a tough one because Stellenbosch is a strong side," said Le Roux. "But we had a good game against them at the USSAs, only losing by seven points, so we are looking forward to the rematch." She added that current USSA champions Tuks would be the team to …

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The Madibaz ended their 2015 Varsity Football campaign with a bang when they beat log leaders the University of the Western Cape at the Madibaz Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Monday night. The team from NMMU claimed a 2-1 victory over UWC to notch up their first win of the tournament and move up one position to finish seventh overall. They also handed the Western Cape side their first defeat of the competition in the process. “We’re obviously very happy because we wanted to end on a high note,” said Madibaz head coach Graeme Harrison. The visitors went on the attack from the start, but the Madibaz fought back with striker Cloudius Sagandira opening the scoring in the 20th minute. The home side doubled their lead less than two minutes later when Achuma Klaas broke through UWC’s defence off an accurate cross from captain Athini Bisha to secure a well-executed goal. Thulani Mkosi took one back for the visitors in the 32nd minute but the Madibaz managed to hold on to their lead going into half-time. Content to defend their lead in the second half, the PE-based team held UWC at bay until the final whistle. “We had nothing to lose so we played with a lot of freedom, which comes with a lot of risk, but it paid off,” said Harrison. After playing five consecutive away games, he said it had been a thrill for the team to play before their home fans for the last two fixtures. Harrison said that going around the country they could see how the support the teams received helped to spur the players on and give them that extra push to perform. “The same was evident with the crowd behind us. The boys put up a fantastic show and they executed well, which paid off because we came away with the victory.” According to him, the tournament had been a learning curve for a largely inexperienced team and that this year’s competition had been about developing the future of Madibaz football. “We have a lot of young, new players in the squad this year but the …

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A reinvigorated Madibaz squad delivered a positive, attacking game that saw them accomplish a 1-1 draw against Walter Sisulu University in their first home game of the Varsity Football tournament in Port Elizabeth on Thursday night. The Eastern Cape derby clash gave the team from NMMU their first goal of the season, after six rounds, courtesy of Simamkele Thobi. But it was too late for the home side who remain bottom of the log after a goalless opening draw and four losses on the trot. “It’s a huge relief to finally have points on the board. A win would have been much sweeter but we’ll take the draw,” said Madibaz head coach Graeme Harrison. “I’m proud of the boys. They really wanted to give the home fans a win, so they’re disappointed about that, but they really played their hearts out.” After a sluggish start, which saw WSU’s Mkhuseli Mfeketho score off a back-heel pass from Lutho Scotch in the 17th minute, the Madibaz regrouped and took the game to the opposition but were unable to finish with the required accuracy. “We created so many opportunities but converting them into goals has been our problem throughout the competition,” admitted Harrison. However, his substitution of Chuma Mapuma for Sachin Jackson at left wing had immediate results when Mapuma gave the cross to Thobi who put the ball in the back of the net in the 61st minute. “Chuma is a very exciting young player with a bright future ahead of him if he keeps his feet on the ground. Last night’s performance showed what he’s capable of.” Harrison said it was when the Madibaz stopped giving away possession and controlling the game in the second half that things came together. “We had a chance again in the last minute of the game but their keeper made a brilliant save.” Madibaz centre midfielder Karabo Motlhabi, who missed four games due to a persistent ankle injury, was awarded the FNB Man of the Match prize for his efforts. “He’s inspiring – things happen on the field …

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Madibaz football fans will finally get a glimpse of their team this week when NMMU hosts Walter Sisulu University for the first home game of the 2015 Varsity Football tournament on Thursday night. After five rounds on the road, the Madibaz will be hoping for the first win of the campaign on their home pitch. "The boys can't wait to play in front of their home fans and give them the desired result," said Madibaz head coach Graeme Harrison. "I am certain they are going to go all out to give them something to cheer about." Harrison said the players had been hard at work for the WSU game and that preparations had been going well. "We have to give ourselves a strong chance because it's our first home game and we really want to impress our supporters," he added. The teams look set to be well matched, with the team from Mthatha ranked seventh out of the eight participating institutions – just one spot above their Eastern Cape counterparts. "They are a strong team and in the past have shown that they can score goals, so to beat them we going to have to prevent that," said Harrison. He said the NMMU players understood that they needed to put in additional effort at this point in the tournament if they were to take one back and beat WSU. "They are an attacking team so I expect them to play an open game. This means they can score goals but also leak them and we will have to take advantage of that," he said. Harrison said Simamkele Thobi would return to partner Cloudius Sagandira as twin strikers at the head of the attack, while Achuma Klaas and Sachin Jackson on the wings would give the Madibaz the necessary impetus to get round the WSU defence. "I feel with sufficient supply of passes to the strikers they can find the net for us." Captain and defensive midfielder Athini Bisha moves to strengthen the backline after defender Diego van Rooyen was red-carded in the previous game against TUT. Harrison said the support of home fans would play …

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The Nedbank Madibaz swimming club are taking the plunge and hosting their first ever gala in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, August 29. More than 170 swimmers are expected to descend on the Newton Park Indoor Swimming Pool for what is hoped will become an annual fixture on the aquatics calendar. Madibaz aquatics manager Melinda Goosen said the gala was a long overdue event and, as the strongest swimming university in the Eastern Cape, it was important for NMMU to maintain a more visible presence in Nelson Mandela Bay Aquatics. “It is important for us to be visible and active in our community and also contribute to the swimming fraternity through a high standard of competition and our established learn-to-swim programmes,” said Goosen. She said the club had previously produced a number of high-profile swimmers such as Paralympian Kevin Paul, open-water Olympian Jessica Roux and Greg Kieck, but had been unable to help advance their sporting careers due to lack of funding and sound club structures. “With the help of sponsors like Nedbank we are now in a position to be able to put these structures in place and support these swimmers,” said Goosen. The gala is open to the public and will showcase some of the Eastern Cape’s star athletes with top talented provincial swimmers competing against one another. Heading the Madibaz onslaught will be star swimmer Edward Johannisen, who will participate in the breaststroke and individual medley events. Talented NMMU twins Alard and Alaric Basson will compete in the fly and breaststroke events respectively, over both 50m and 100m. “All three swimmers are experienced at international competition, having represented our country at such championships as World Youth Games, World Student Games, BHP Billiton Series, CANA Zones and African Games,” said Goosen. The gala will be their final competition before departing with Team South Africa for the 11th African Games, which take place in Brazzaville, Congo, from …

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Legendary Eastern Province flyhalf and television commentator Gavin Cowley says the Springboks' biggest challenge in the countdown to the IRB Rugby World Cup is that other teams are outsmarting them. "It's not that they have better players than us," said Cowley, who will be in Port Elizabeth as master of ceremonies at the Madibaz Bok Banter event at NMMU on September 3. "We continue to churn out great players . . . but it is vital for us to have the right mix of youth and experience at a World Cup - and we have to play smarter rugby." To this end, Cowley said the inclusion of Springbok captain Jean de Villiers in the squad - either as a player or as non-playing captain - was important. "He's a natural leader, a man of great courage and fortitude and his experience is vital at a major event. "He's definitely a little rusty, and injury-prone as we know, however I am a big supporter of his ability." Cowley said Victor Matfield, who captained the side against Argentina last week, was another vital, experienced cog in the SA rugby machine. "Technically, if you can dominate the set pieces and be competitive in the rucks and mauls, you will win more matches than you lose. "Matfield is still the best lineout forward in the world and even though he might not play 80 minutes, I believe that he can still be a factor on the field." Cowley said the Bok Banter event would showcase not only the upcoming Rugby World Cup but also celebrate rugby successes over the years at the university. "NMMU is actually a very young university and much has been achieved on the sporting fields and elsewhere since inception." He said the SA rugby heroes attending the event were all alumni and former staff of the institution. Cowley, who warmed the Springbok bench during the '74 British Lions and '76 All Blacks series, graduated from the former UPE in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a diploma in public relations. "Essentially we'll have groups …

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Madibaz head coach Graeme Harrison has vowed to continue the fight in the 2015 Varsity Football tournament after a string of disappointing results this season. The Madibaz's narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of TUT on Monday night was also their fourth straight loss from five matches, which started with a goalless draw against VUT. The team has yet to find the back of the net in this year's campaign. "Everything has just gone against us but we're hanging in there and are going to keep on fighting till the end of the competition," said Harrison. "We still have two home games to look forward to and we're hoping the local support will inspire our boys to score goals." He said a combination of inexperience, missed opportunities and bad luck had contributed to the Madibaz's current position at the bottom of the log. "The score lines have not necessarily reflected how we've performed so far. In every game we've been in it but our mental strength and lapses in concentration have let us down a bit. "I think the five games on the road have also taken their toll. It's not an excuse but it is a factor." Describing the team as "a work in progress", Harrison said they were currently in a rebuilding phase after losing a wealth of experienced players who graduated this year. "The side is almost 80 per cent new blood and it's been tough on the boys. They don't necessarily understand the rigours and standard that is expected at this level." He said playing against established footballing institutions like Wits and Tuks, who had links to professional outfits, had been an eye-opener for them. "We're punching above our weight at the moment and our injuries haven't helped." Harrison said the absence of seasoned striker Kieran Koert, who sustained a serious shoulder injury in the very first game, had been a big blow to the team. "He would have been a good asset as he's been in form and scoring prolifically. We really do miss him." Another key player, …

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With transformation in rugby currently sparking national debate, a group of former South African players of colour will take their rightful place among their fellow Springbok alumni at the Madibaz Bok Banter gala event at the NMMU Indoor Sports Centre on September 3. The event, which takes place in the run-up to this year’s Rugby World Cup, will see a number of rugby legends with connections to the university sharing their memories of and predictions for the international sporting tournament. Among them will be 86-year-old Harold Wilson, who is honorary vice-president for life of the South African Rugby Union, and the manager of the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks, Zola Yeye. The pair will lead a line-up of little known national stars from the old Saru era that includes Bernard Petersen, Newton Kennedy and Anton Arendse. All are former students of the old UPE, later NMMU, and all except administrative doyen Wilson obtained national colours in the 1980s. As a non-racial sporting body, the original Saru kept itself independent of the “white” SA Rugby Board under Dr Danie Craven, which had its own separate development structures and sub-unions. As Saru president, Wilson would play a key role in the unity talks with Craven that saw the two national unions merge at the start of the new democratic dispensation. All Saru players were eventually awarded their Springbok blazers around the turn of the millennium. “It was sentimental in a way, a great moment, but some of the guys didn’t accept their blazers,” said Madibaz sports manager Petersen, who will don his green and gold for the Bok Banter event. According to him, wings Kennedy and Yeye and centre Arendse could all have made the Springbok side had they been allowed to compete on a level playing field. “These guys were stars in their own class – they were all outstanding players,” he said. Unhappily, said Petersen, Saru never captured individual player statistics and therefore …

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The Madibaz will be playing for pride when they take on Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in their Varsity Football clash in Pretoria on Monday night. This follows their 3-0 defeat at the hands of North-West University (Pukke) at the Fanie du Toit Sport Grounds in Potchefstroom on Thursday. After four rounds and three losses on the trot, the team from NMMU have been unable to turn their fortunes around at this year’s tournament. But, said Madibaz head coach Graeme Harrison, they were still in the competition with three matches left to play. “We’re not going to give up and throw in the towel. There are still nine points at stake so we are going to play for whatever we can get.” Harrison spoke frankly after Thursday’s loss, saying his team had not done themselves justice with their performance in the tournament so far. “We’ve had an uncanny knack lately of letting in silly goals and putting ourselves under pressure early on in the game,” he said. “Against Pukke, we shot ourselves in the foot once again by conceding an early goal.” Harrison said the Madibaz had held out well until early in the second half. “But then another lapse of concentration, not playing to the whistle and players just leaving other players to run past with the ball allowed them to score a goal.” Harrison said his side’s failure to convert their opportunities in front of the net had put extra pressure on them. “And then we let through another silly goal and our backs were against the wall.” A final goal in the 88th minute sealed Pukke’s triumph. Harrison said, despite the negative score lines, his team had been trying hard and would do their utmost come Monday night. “We are going to try and come home with positive results so that, when we do play our home games, we can get proud support and hopefully some results will go our way.” He said the team were looking forward to playing in front of their home fans. “The first half of the tournament has …

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