A year ago, rugby was a foreign sport at the school.

A visit to the school last year by Douglas Mudivhani, who plies his trade with the Blue Bulls Rugby Union, laid the foundation for pupils who are competing for places in the school´s rugby team.

Khwevha Secondary School at Shayandima outside Thohoyandou is one of the few traditional black schools in Vhembe where rugby is now regarded as a popular sport. The school has produced players who have represented the district during the recent OR Tambo Games that were held at the University of Venda.

The school also boasts teachers who are qualified coaches and who are passionate about the sport. Two of them, Humbulani Netshifhefhe and Livhuwani Nephalama, have the Level 1 Servants certificate and Boksmart qualifications, which make them some of the few blacks who are qualified to coach rugby in the district.

Nephalama also coached the Limpopo senior team under the Blue Bulls during a tournament in Pretoria, where they managed to bring back home a silver medal.

Netshifhefhe said as coaches they wanted to expose the learners to new challenges and give them an opportunity to take part in the sport of rugby, which is regarded as a white-only sport. “We are glad the idea to start a team was well received, and we now have more than 60 learners who are playing rugby at the school. We want to develop the sport and make it as popular as soccer is in this region,” he said.

He said they had big plans for the sport in the area. “In a short space of time, we have achieved a lot,. Having players from our school representing the district is a big achievement, for starters. We are working hard, so that we can produce players from here representing the province nationally and playing for the Bokke. This is possible,” he said.

The team is meeting with resounding success, despite the many challenges. For starters, they do not have a proper rugby field to play on and they are using a small patch of garden for their practices. They do not have proper rugby gear and some play barefoot.

He said they had the potential to take the team to greater heights, but this would only happen if they got the neccessary support. “We only have one kit, which is used by both girls and boys. We need a sponsor to realise our dream of making more and more learners participate in this sport," added Netshifhefhe.

The 17-year-old Grade 11 pupil, Ndivhuho Netshivhumbe, is very passionate about the sport. "Many people look at me with staring eyes, wondering what I am doing in a male-dominated sport. This does not deter me and I am determined to be the first woman in Vhembe to play for a national team," she said.

Anybody wishing to sponsor the enthusiastic team could do so by contacting Mr Netshifhefhe at 083 368 0328, Mr Nephalama at 072 442 8186 or Ms Nkhumeleni at 082 222 7965.