Students flock to Durban North for university sports championships

The University Sports South Africa (USSA) championship was held at Varsity College, Durban North, this week. The students had spent months preparing for this event, which brought in more than 1000 students from around the country to participate in hockey and rugby.

Carole Adam, sports manager at Varsity College, said more than 22 universities were represented at this year’s annual USSA hockey and rugby championships.

“There is a combined male and female player count of over 650 for the hockey championships and 600 male rugby players for the rugby championships.

“These championships are highly anticipated features on the South African tertiary sporting calendar. These championships are platforms for crowning champions and nurturing future talent for the South African teams. They also provide an opportunity for developing university clubs to test their skills and experience at a tournament of this magnitude. Participants showcase their talent, team spirit and sportsmanship while providing entertainment for supporters and spectators alike,” said Ms Adam.

The men's and women’s hockey tournaments (which took place from Monday to Wednesday July 3 to 5) comprised three sections across both and with 21 men’s and 18 women’s teams participating. The rugby tournament has four sections with a total of 24 university men's teams participating. The event started on Saturday July 8 and ended on Wednesday July12.

Captain of the Varsity College rugby team, Abande Mthembu, said he was happy with the way his team played on Wednesday. Mthembu, 21, lives in Darnall, Durban. He is studying for a bachelor in entrepreneurship at Varsity College. He participated in the games last year. He added that they upped their game this year and came in victorious, winning the game.

“I developed an interest in rugby at the age of five. I started playing the game at nine years old. My brother, who is 13 years older than me, introduced me to the sport. He would get me to watch rugby matches with him on TV and take me take to watch them live. I started developing a passion for rugby. I was 12 when I got involved in championships, I played for Durban Coastal,” said Mthembu.

He said rugby teaches discipline, which he and his teammates apply in life as well. He added that through rugby he had been able to build bonds with his teammates, that will last a lifetime. Mr Mthembu’s goal is to use his degree to start his own business and create jobs, decreasing the high number of unemployment in the country.