Half a dozen players from the Soweto Rugby Club (SRC) were allegedly injured in an attack during a match on Saturday night, according to media reports.

The players were allegedly attacked by members of the opposition team, the Edenvale Panthers, as well as spectators towards the end of their President’s League game.

“I tackled their player to force him to score a try on the side instead of under the poles,” SRC player Sikelela Nazo, who apparently suffered concussion, told The Sowetan.

“When I got up, one of his team-mates ran over to me and pushed me. He called me a kaffir.”

Zola Ntlokoma, secretary of the SRC, told The New Age that one of the team’s coaches and the bus driver had also been attacked.

“After the fight had subsided, a player from the Edenvale Panthers said ‘leave our town you kaffirs’,” Ntlokoma told the newspaper.

Panthers club president Victor de Klerk reportedly said the SRC players had apparently racially abused his team before the violence broke out.

“We have eight players of colour on our team, but the things they were saying to the bench were not right,” De Klerk said.

“And then when our player was tackled dangerously, that is when things got out of control.”

Golden Lions Rugby Union club rugby manager, Pieter Visser, told The New Age there were “two sides to every story” and he was waiting for statements from both clubs.

Edenvale police told The Sowetan a case of assault had been opened on Sunday.

Personal observation:

I, Rudi Geldenhuys as I’m known in the real world, was a member of the Soweto Rugby Club, Facebook Group, till yesterday!

For months now there has been an underlying and simmering build up of a racial edge or tension from within the ranks of some members of Soweto Rugby Club. I perceived a hostility at the Club, mixed with a pride of their fabulous winning record for the season, which was not there previously.

The members will have to attest to it that I admonished one of the members, Zola Ntlokoma, and warned him to keep the side of Soweto Rugby Club clear…. it is there for all to see on The Soweto Rugby Club, Facebook Group.

Now this happened, and I’m not choosing sides, but yesterday the returned racial outburst by members of the Soweto Rugby Club, Facebook Group (I receive mails regarding all new items placed on the group’s Facebook page) made me say, enough is enough… and I resigned from the Soweto Rugby Club, Facebook Group.

Hopefully these issues are resolved and rather quickly as well and hopefully when both sides of the argument is analysed, this is a mountain made out of a mole hill.