The Bronville Primary School has been chosen as one of 12 schools in the world, and the only in Africa, to represent a team at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2022.
World Rugby has confirmed the dates for the tournament, to be hosted in New Zealand. It will run from 8 October to 12 November.
The 12-team tournament was due to be held in 2021, and the fixtures have now been transferred to 2022.
Learners of the Bronville Primary School had the chance to meet six members of the South African women’s rugby team, as part of the Try and Stop Us for Children project to celebrate the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
The visit took place on Thursday (18/08).
“After the speeches and the national anthem, the players played rugby with the children. A fantastic day, for the students and for the players,” says Olivier Reggiani, a teacher and director at Ecole Maurice Boyau in France.
The project has 12 schools from all over the world associated with the 12 participating teams. The Bronville Primary School has been chosen as the one school in Africa, representing South Africa at the games.
According to Shamila Louw, a teacher at the school, the idea was launched by Reggiani.
“He initiated the Try and Stop Us for Children project with the aim of promoting gender equality and to bring students from across the globe together,” says Louw.
Louw is a teacher at the school and co-ordinator of the project. She is also the rugby coach of the Women’s Griffons team and head coach of the Senior Men’s Pioneer RFC.
The Try and Stop Us for Children project received support from Rugby au Coeur, the official charity of RWC 2023 (Rugby World Cup). It has also been recognised by the Alice Milliat Foundation.
The aim of the Alice Milliat Foundation is to promote and enhance women sports exposure in the media through various activities like competitions, large events and documentaries.
With the help of World Rugby, the project has been rolled out to the nations set to compete this year.
“We are very excited to be hosts to such an initiative. Participants were tasked to write to our national women’s rugby team, and we decided to make a video that invited the national women’s rugby team to our school. We also decided to make ‘good luck’ key chains for each player that we handed over during their visit,” says Louw.
The Springbok Women’s coach, Stanley Raubenheimer, and the captain, Nolusindiso Booi, were among the guests who visited the school last week.
“We were so moved when we received the video message from the school, it was really the sweetest and we are so grateful for this project that we believe will encourage accelerate the movement to level the playing field between men and women in traditionally male-dominated sports.”
She added having the national rugby team visit each school forms part of the various activities and programmes that each participating school has to complete before the official RWC 2022 kickoff.
“We believe that the project will have a long-term impact, as it aims to prove that there no sports reserved for girls or boys. The programme aims to fight against the stereotypes often associated with female rugby players. It is truly a movement and we are happy to be the forerunners affecting such change,” says Louw.
