Rugby Week at ACJ!

In November 2009 I saw the movie Invictus for the first time. I never for a million years would have thought then that I would be teaching kids rugby in a South African township two years later.

I played rugby in college, but it has been three years since then, so I was really excited to teach it this week. Playing rugby is apparently like riding a bike; after a quick practice session with the volunteers upon arrival on Wednesday morning, it all came back to me. We divided up into four groups of about eight kids each and ran drills followed by games. We started out with passing drills, focusing on “rugby passes” and “passing backwards” and then British Bulldog to get them to “touch” properly using two hands. We then played a mini game, where they had to pass three times before scoring a try. If the defending team “touched” the player with the ball it had to be passed. Ideally, three touches meant a turnover, but with so many kids in a fairly small space refereeing was a challenge. Teaching them to pass backwards was eventually accomplished through passing drills, skills which some of the kids carried over to the games.

It is such a sense of accomplishment to teach kids a sport I enjoyed so much in college, and watching them enjoying it and improving is the icing on the cake. I was slightly apprehensive about teaching sport initially but the past session has been fantastic and I am looking forward to continuing with rugby next week!

Emma Mounsey – International Development Intern

Rugby Week at ACJ!