Saru react to club disgrace
10 Sep 2009
Saru has investigated the Boland Rugby Union following a life-long injury to a minor in a senior club rugby match.
Johan Botha, 17, will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair after sustaining a serious injury playing for Montagu RFC third team against Verenigde RFC on 27 June. Four other serious cases have been reported this year already, of which three players ending up as quadriplegics.
A task team, which includes Dr Wayne Viljoen (BokSmart National Rugby Safety Programme Project Manager) and Gail Ross (Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Players’ Fund General Manager), have questioned the Boland Rugby Union and Montagu RFC to find out why under-age players were allowed to feature for a senior team.
The Boland Rugby Union officially does not allow players under the age of 18 years to play in senior rugby matches under any circumstances. However, the task team found that Boland rugby clubs struggled to meet the requirements of three senior teams and therefore they used schoolboys to fill the numbers.
The task team have now suggested solutions, which include the requirements of senior teams be reduced to two and the development of an U19 side.
‘The issues around prevention, treatment and management of serious or catastrophic injuries in the Boland region, as it currently stands, will require more than one workshop to rectify the situation,’ said Dr Viljoen.
‘This is the first of many workshops to ensure that rugby within Boland becomes safer, and the risk of injury and the inappropriate management of these injuries are reduced.’
Botha will receive ongoing assistance from the Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Players’ Fund, while Saru and the IRB are now currently in the process creating new and stricter policies to prevent under-age players from appearing in senior matches.
14 Comments
10 Sep 2009, 12:33 pm
Jeez thats not right.
10 Sep 2009, 12:38 pm
This kid should sue BRU for the last few sents they have! A farking disgrace!!!
10 Sep 2009, 12:45 pm
not a good advert for rugby. u18′s should play in an official age group competition.
10 Sep 2009, 12:48 pm
when this happened 3 months ago to a kid in the kingwilliamstown area & SAR* REACTED too late, why wasn’t it applied to all regions & all levels of rugby?
10 Sep 2009, 13:20 pm
Why on earth does the Boland rugby union let this happen !! They should be punished / banned till they know how to manage their clubs and union. The club scene is a disgrace and players are losing their lives in fights and now this poor youngster gets badly hurt.I really hope SARU and BRU cough of up millions for this as they are both to blame.
10 Sep 2009, 14:22 pm
it is sad that these youngsters are affected as they want to play so it should come down to the club to reject it. The club is responsible
10 Sep 2009, 14:45 pm
These guys should pay up. It is a youngster, he had dreams, now what?
10 Sep 2009, 20:40 pm
The kid wanted to play! It was his choice. Sometimes acidents just happen. James o connor playd in the super 14 last year. hes only 17.. What if something happens to him? He is a international now at 18. How can u want to sue boland? Their klaar bankrot in eanycase man
10 Sep 2009, 23:50 pm
It really sounds like the whole of Boland rugby is a disgrace and managed really badly. Is it a case of amatruer doing what professionals should be doing?
This is simply not overlookable. this was someone’s life FFS!! With this kid of stuff happening, I would not let my son play rugby anywhere near there.
I would want assurances that the players interests are looked after FIRST AND FOREMOST.
11 Sep 2009, 00:18 am
This is disgusting the poor oke now has his life dramatically affected because of the incompetence of the Boland Rugby Union. What a shame.
Its not the young guy’s fault, he should never have been allowed to play. Sue them I say
11 Sep 2009, 04:00 am
#8 Smiley: he was just a kid, get real.
11 Sep 2009, 06:26 am
Let’s not kid ourselves okes. This thing has been happening at all over. School, club, provincial and national level. As soon as coaching staff sees that a certain individual is very talented especially for his group age they put him in the first team. Rugby is a contact sport. I had my fair share of broken ribs, dislocated shoulders, broken fingers etc and in rugby this will always happen. To blame boland now for this culture that has been around for years is wrong. Rather address the issue. Young players must be brought through the ranks then be placed in areas where there development and health is severely jeopardize.
What happened to this poor boy is terrible but unfortunately this will always happen in rugby. Its in the nature of the game. Sometimes its through dangerous play but most of the time a simple thing as falling wrong and ending up at the bottom of a pile in a uncomfortable position can do this damage to. Believe me I know
11 Sep 2009, 09:22 am
Cause Boland Rugby officials are only there for themselves, whats in it for me, Mr Davids and he’s croneys only wants the benifits that goes with the job, they do’nt care about Rugby
12 Sep 2009, 01:14 am
Yes we know. You arent the only person who have ever played rugby before Bentoshi! What do you take us for? Tiddly winks players?
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