Maties play race off-side

Sunday Times 5 Oct 1986

By Sybrand Mostert

Students at the University of Stellenbosch have crash-tackled racial barriers at their rugby headquarters.

Out on the sidelines is a fast fading tradition of "whites only" rugby at the hallowed ground of Coetzenburg - where nearly 200 white, black and coloured players scrummed down together at the weekend in a mixed tournament.

And it was the students themselves who slipped through a gap to set up the kick-off, with the blessing of South Africa's rugby boss, Dr Danie Craven.

"We thought it would be a good way to round off the season," said tournament organiser John Donaldson, of the Akker rugby team.

Second

The team scored a first for an Afrikaans university when they signed up to play in the Boland league of the South African Rugby Association (Sara) at the beginning of the season.

The team - with seven black players - carried discrimination (and all the opposing teams but one) before them to end the season in second place.

For the final fixture, the students opted for a mixed seven-a-side tournament at Coetzenburg, drawing on 20 teams from the Boland and Western Province and one from Natal.

John Donaldson said: "AI far as I know, It is the first time that predominantly Sara players have used Coetzenburg for a major tournament."