As much as most of us want the Western Cape 2018 school rugby season to go ahead unabated, sanity may have to prevail in the face of what appears to be an imminent water unavailability crisis.
Following a three-hour meeting with the rugby clubs on Saturday, it emerged that the Dept of Sport and Recreation don’t even want teams to practise, forget about play. It doesn’t matter if they’ve got borehole water, other clubs haven’t, so they level the playing field – so to speak. It’s bad news for those with the huge club sponsorships and sums paid to players to join, etc.
The schools have yet to be addressed/consulted.
Comment by Kattes:
I heard that there is a strong possibility that, due to the water shortage, schools that falls within the Cape Town municipal areas, will only be allowed to start playing rugby from 1 June 2018. The Paarl and Stellenbosch schools, falls under the Groot Drakenstein and Stellenbosch municipalities, and a decision from them have not yet been confirmed.
At a meeting with rugby clubs in WP and the municipality today, it was confirmed that club rugby is off until 1 June. Clubs may not even practice on their fields.Although only club rugby was discussed, I expect (hopefully not) this decision will also be filtered down to the schools, as was done with other summer sports.
If so, this will obviously have a huge impact on the fixture list of schools.I know that this is really an emergency act, but it will still be sad for all the youngsters that worked so hard at their conditioning at this stage.
Also heard that delegates of WP schools will be holding a meeting next week to discuss this matter.
Meanwhile on a more pleasant note:
GLENWOOD WATER DRIVE FOR PAARL BOYS HIGH
The Glenwood water drive has been a success with around 100 x 5L, and 50 x 1.5L bottles of water collected.
The water will be transported to Paarl Boys’ High and it will be used by the School.
Glenwood would like to thank SEABOURNE EXPRESS for transporting the water free of charge to Paarl Boys’.
@odie15: I remember what my son played junior club rugby for TUKS and when they played Harlequins away, lets just say that you could bounce a cricket ball of the rugby field. worse part was when they had the Blue Bulls IPT Trials there was a lot of blood and severe grass burns. you are right, these are tough boys (young men) no guts no glory.
I think this is rather ridiculous. Even if you use no water the fields will still be playable. Will look like Freestate, High veld and low veld fields with brown grass on it. So the fields will be a bit hard who cares!
If schools in the cape cant play rugby, wont this affect the selection for CW trials and possibility of getting contracts?
Dit is erg droog maar hoekom jy nie ‘n boorgat mag gebruik nie verstaan ek nie. Kaapstad val in geen dam se opvangs gebied nie.
@Kattes-Strofes: Ek dink as almal Vrydag op die kuier nou klaar saam stem dat Garsies die beste in die Noordvaal is moet die topic draai na hoe en hoeveel water ons in die Kaap kan kry.Ek beloof om dit op te bring en glo Noordvaal bloggers gaan met n plan kom….Ek sal terugvoer gee na die kuier.
@Smallies: Soos ek verstaan gaan dit nie net oor die toestand van die velde nie, maar ook oor waterverbruik by storte, toilette ens. Gewoonlik is daar mos, benewens die seuns wat speel, ook n aansienlike klompie toeskouers tydens wedstryde.
Kom ons hoop maar dat die reën binnekort mildelik sal val, en dan is al hierdie bespiegeling van die baan.
In die karoo is die meeste velde aan die einde van die winter meer grond as gras, ek verstaan nie so lekker waarom die kids i die kaap nie kan speel nie
@Falcon22: Well! The municipality told the clubs who uses borehole water, that they still can,t play. I am not sure why, but I think that the question of showering after matches etc., may be a part of the problem. As Rainier also pointed out, the underground water table may also be negatively effected. This really is a sad situation for all rugby lovers. But one needs to understand the dire consequences, if the province run out of water.
@Kattes-Strofes: Surely if schools use borehole water then there will be no negative impact on the municipal legislations WRT level 6 water restrictions. Do the municipalities control borehole water as well?
@Maroon: Dis baie cool dat hulle van die grid af is, hulle is egter gevra om alle krieket te staak reg? Of is hulle gese hulle kan speel solank al hulle games tuis is.
@CharlesZA: Rondebosch gebruik geen munsipale water op hulle skoolterrein nie. Dit sluit drink en gryswater in die geboue self ook in. Eerste skool in Kaapstad wat ten volle “van die grid af is”.
PRG het hul eie boorgate wat nog altyd gebruik is. Gebruik van boorgatwater kan nie die stad voorgestryf word nie, maar hulle kan slegs aanbelevelings doen.
Sonder om vingers te wys, maar hier is n tweet van Rondebosch. Hulle eerste span speel nogsteeds 4 games die week.
https://twitter.com/Rondebosch_Boys/status/962935527384240130
Die week voor dit, 19 wedstryde: https://twitter.com/Rondebosch_Boys/status/960426705818091520
Reel maar meer games op Oakdale. Kyk hoe mooi groen was ons veld verlede week met atletiek interskole teen Boland Landbou. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215328142294400&set=pcb.10155945397770132&type=3&theater
Ek verstaan nie hoekom skole die reeling sal ignoreer nie.
As dit die voorbeeld is wat die leierskap van die skool aan sy skoliere stel dan is dit pateties.
En onthou dat boorgate die ondergrondse water tafel kan verlaag en selfs uitput.
@Kattes-Strofes: Dit is wel goeie nuus. Ek hoop dat ons darem teen paasnaweek sal reen kry vanjaar. Ek het n vermoede dat die 150 toernooi dalk in lekker nat weer gespeel gaan word..tot voordeel van die Kiwi en Engelse spanne!
@BoishaaiPa: Ek het darem ook gehoor dat die Groot Drakenstein munisipaliteit het reeds goedkeuring gegee vir Boishaai se 150 rugbyfees, sowel as die Cravenweek. Hoop my inligting is korrek. Dit is darem n bietjie goeie nuus in hierdie moeilike tye.
a Big thank you to Glenwood and their supporters who did a water drive and sending more than a 1000L of bottled water down to Paarl Boishaai…
@CharlesZA: Ja ! Ek het ook gehoor dat van die skole ignoreer die reëling. Het egter ook gehoor dat daar groot boetes vir hulle gegee gaan word. Weet egter nie of dit waar is nie.
Die ergste storie is vir my dat die manne nie eers mag oefen op die velde nie.Van die klubs het gesê dat hulle net boorgat water vir hul velde gebruik, soos ek weet heelwat skole ook doen, maar dit is steeds nie aanvaarbaar nie. Nou hoe de hel moet hulle rugby fiks word. Gimwerk is mos nie die alfa en omega van rugby nie. Ons moet maar hoop dat daar n ander uitweg is.
@Kattes-Strofes: Dit sal terrible wees. Sal maar al die games in Paarl, Wellington, Stellenbosch en Strand moet reel.
Gehoor die krieket games is op skole vlak ook afgestel maar die skole steur hulle nie veel daaraan nie. Vermoed daar sal planne gemaak word om verby so n reling te kom as dit met rugby ook gebeur.
I heard that there is a strong possibility that, due to the water shortage, schools that falls within the Cape Town municipal areas, will only be allowed to start playing rugby from 1 June 2018. The Paarl and Stellenbosch schools, falls under the Groot Drakenstein and Stellenbosch municipalities, and a decision from them have not yet been confirmed.
At a meeting with rugby clubs in WP and the municipality today, it was confirmed that club rugby is off until 1 June. Clubs may not even practice on their fields.
Although only club rugby was discussed, I expect (hopefully not) this decision will also be filtered down to the schools, as was done with other summer sports.
If so, this will obviously have a huge impact on the fixture list of schools.
I know that this is really an emergency act, but it will still be sad for all the youngsters that worked so hard at their conditioning at this stage.
Also heard that delagates of WP schools will be holding a meeting next week to discuss this matter.