The past week has been a period of significant activity and progress within the Western Province Rugby community.
We commenced our fitness and conditioning program for our WP Rugby women’s players at the High-Performance Centre in Bellville last week, and this program continues weekly. This initiative is a critical step towards ensuring our athletes achieve optimal performance levels for the upcoming challenges.
This week, Thursday, saw us convene our annual forum meeting at Newlands for our member super league clubs. This meeting served as a platform for open dialogue, allowing clubs to engage in discussions regarding the competition format, fixtures, and necessary requirements. Such engagements are crucial for the smooth operation and success of our leagues. The format remains unchanged. Our regional forums are scheduled for next Tuesday, 20 February 2024, at the Sport Science Institute in Newlands. Following these final engagements, the fixtures will be distributed.
We continue to emphasize the importance of the compliance criteria process, with a particular focus on safeguarding courses. The objective is to ensure that all clubs and teams appoint safeguarding officers, fulfilling a national sports requirement aimed at preventing harassment and abuse of vulnerable individuals. We urge all clubs to prioritize this initiative, reinforcing our commitment to a safe and inclusive environment. Additionally, we remind our clubs to complete and submit their compliance documentation.
The excitement of university rugby returns with the start of the Varsity Cup on Monday, 19 February 2024, featuring our universities Maties, UCT, and UWC. The Varsity Shield will follow on 22 February, with CPUT ready to demonstrate their capabilities.
This weekend, we host the World Rugby Level One Fifteens coaching course at Newlands. This educational event represents an invaluable opportunity for aspiring coaches to enhance their knowledge and skills in rugby coaching. Moreover, we are pleased to announce our next coaching course, the World Rugby Level One Strength and Conditioning Course, scheduled for 1 March 2024, also to be held at Newlands.
Additionally, this weekend offers a slate of exciting friendlies. Helderberg faces Strand in what promises to be a thrilling derby. Similarly, a notable match between SK Walmers and former Super League A club Belhar is anticipated to be a significant season preparation for both teams. Additional friendlies include Bellville vs Eersterivier and Belhar vs SKW, each promising to deliver competitive rugby action.
Young Gardens hosts their sevens rugby tournament this weekend with a number of local teams in action in Paarl. The tournament promises to be a showcase of thrilling rugby, featuring a number of Paarl teams.