National schoolgirl rugby tournament

Video

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A national schoolgirl rugby tournament, with eight regions competing, will take place at the Pacaltsdorp Sports Grounds in George on 5 and 6 August.

The tournament was to be held in Bloemfontein, but it was decided this week it would take place on South Western Districts turf.

SWD U18s came sixth out of 16 regions and a Zimbabwe contingent in the SA Rugby Youth Week girls' interprovincial U18 tournament held in Welkom in early July.

All eyes will be on Mossel Bay's U18 player, Edwaline Dickson, on 5 and 6 August because she was the player of the tournament in Welkom. Western Province won the tournament and SWD came sixth.

Dickson has only been playing rugby for 14 months, since May last year, and has made a name for herself already. Last year she was vice-captain of the SWD U16 girls.

In an interview with the Mossel Bay Advertiser, she said: "I started playing rugby with the kids in the street, then began practising [at the D'Almeida Stadium]. I never dreamt I would do so well in the tournament."

Her face lights up and her eyes sparkle as she says: "I want to be a Springbok one day."

When asked what her strong points and weak points are, she says: "I'm not such a fast runner, but I can side-step and tackle." She plays in the No 8 position. It is obvious watching Edwaline playing in the street with the D'Almeida neighbourhood children that her reflexes are fast and she has good hand-eye co-ordination. These social co-players are boys and the respect and admiration they have for her is evident.

She is a hero among her peers.

Dickson says she can't bear to watch rugby on television because she feels part of the game and if she sees a mistake, wants to "make it right" and ends up walking away from the television, frustrated.

When she did watch rugby though, Bryan Habana was her favourite player.

When Edwaline won player of the tournament in Welkom, the organisers said she would have to learn how to speak in public. "She not really a talkative person," her mom, Mymoena, says.

The regional/provincial girls' rugby contingents in South Africa are all called Youth Training Centres and there are 12 regions in total. Sihle Diko, the Youth Training Centre administrator for SWD said the girls would be at an advantage playing at home, with a partisan crowd in Pacaltsdorp next weekend.

Perhaps SWD will show women rugby leaders Border and Western Cape a thing or two.

Watch a video below.