Sentinel Primary School’s new principal, Debri-Lee de Jager, is on a mission to bring touch rugby to Hout Bay.
Ms De Jager took over at the school earlier this year, coming from a rugby-loving school and community close to Stilbaai.
“The community was very similar to Hangberg, and I knew many of the fathers who were playing for the rugby club there, and the excitement around rugby and touch rugby was amazing,” she says.
But in Hout Bay, she quickly realised that football is more popular than rugby.
Undaunted, she roped in some enthusiastic teachers and coaches and sent them off on a touch-rugby course at Rondebosch Boys’ High School last month, and the next step will be the appointment of a coach at the school.
Touch rugby teaches children discipline and how to work as a team, and injury is less of a problem than it is with full-contact rugby, she says.
While there isn’t a suitable field at Sentinel Primary to play soccer or rugby, the nearby beach is the next best option for some “healthy competition”, says Ms De Jager.
She plans to grow the sport in Hout Bay, but the primary school’s pupils will first have to get to grips with some basic ball skills before they are ready to compete, and balls and training gear are also needed, she says.
“There is lots of fine things that need to be improved before we can actually send the kids out to play, and it’s not just that simple, but we are looking forward to it and the challenge.”
