The newly-formed Soweto Rugby Union does not see itself as a ‘rebel’ entity and there is no immediate plan for the Soweto club to break away from the Golden Lions.
First conceptualised during the Soweto Sports Indaba of 2013 and then registered as a proprietary limited company in September last year, the SRU see themselves as a “township or a rural union that will give opportunities to the disadvantaged”.
However, there is no direct link between the club (SRC) and the union (SRU), other than both being based in the sprawling township on the South-Western borders of the City of Johannesburg.
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“That is not correct,” the SRU secretary Zola Ntlokoma told rugby365, when asked about reports suggesting the Soweto club is breaking away from the GLRU.
“Let’s make one thing clear, there is no breakaway. The Soweto rugby club is still affiliated with the Golden Lions Rugby Union.
“The Soweto Rugby Union Proprietary Limited is a new union that was just registered in September 2014. They [Soweto club and SRU] are two separate entities.
“There is certainly no breakaway. For now the Soweto rugby club will continue to play within the GLRU structures.”
He admitted there is a sine qua non for a union that serves the disadvantaged.
“The people that have approached us are outside of unions,” Ntlokoma told rugby365, adding: “These are people who have been chased away by unions. They are involved in schools systems in various provinces – like the Bulls, Falcons, Lions and Leopards.
“They are not in the mainstream of the school system. They feel the Soweto Rugby Union could be a home for to them.
“We are certainly not a rebel union, we are just a rugby union.”
While the SRU has received an invitation from Argentina for a team to tour there later this year, he said office bearers and coaching staff will only be revealed when the SRU hosts its official launch later this year.
Their first meeting will be in the first or second week of February and that meeting will decide if they will approach SARU for affiliation.
“In terms of decisions going forward, in terms of who we affiliate to and how we move forward, I can’t answer that at this stage,” he said.
“We have teams in Gauteng and in North West that have contacted the SRU to start a league. We are still new, but hopefully by June or July we will start a pilot league. If we have the facilities to start our own league then we’ll be able to say we have these teams in a league in Gauteng and these teams in a league in North West.
“All the details – of when and where the league matches are played – must still be finalised. That pilot league we hope to get off the ground in June or July.
“The SRU is not affiliated to anyone yet. We have not approached SASCOC, SARU, the Lions (GLRU) or the minister of sport.
“We are an entity that exists with potential projects that are in place.”
While the formation of the SRU is seen in some circles as a negative, Ntlokoma believes that many township-based clubs would make similar transitions over time.
“It (the Soweto Rugby Union) was conceptualised during the Soweto Sports Indaba of 2013 – an Indaba that involved all codes, including sports such as netball and cricket. They took the decision that Soweto must have its own soccer federation, netball federation, rugby federation, etc.
“We are just fulfilling that mandate. There is no animosity between Soweto and the Golden Lions, between Soweto and SARU, etc.
“We fulfilled that mandate with the registration of the union as a proprietary limited company (Pty Ltd) in September 2014.”
Scrumdown what do you make of this. Would be intriguing to get your insight on things, what do you know about the various stakeholders in this and how much do you rate their potential for success? Surely there must be so much potential talent there that if properly nurtured could make a big impact in providing a bigger base to chose from.
Only thing is this gets confusing with another SRU to go along with the original SRU – Scottish Rugby Union and the other SRU – the Samoan Rugby Union
@ Bullscot:
It’s doomed to failure.
No entity can be involved in Rugby Union unless it falls under the umbrella of the local affiliated Union.
Hence in this case, unless they are a Sub-Union of the GLRU, (as N-Tvl were back in the day), they will have no official recognition from any bodies.
I can’t see SARU trying to appease it’s masters in government in trying to get this body of people recognised with World Rugby, unless they find (another) reason to get rid of the GLRU and have this new union accepted as the “official” custodian of Rugby Union in JHB.
I could write MANY pages regarding incidents involving Soweto Rugby Club, many from first hand experience, but it would accomplish nothing except to push up my blood pressure.
Suffice is to say that Soweto Rugby Club are always victims in any incident. (Must be van Riebeeck’s fault)
That there is a wealth of untapped potential in ALL previously disadvantaged areas in and around JHB goes without saying, as does the fact that official Rugby bodies do NOTHING to develop them.
nuf said.
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