Beyond the try line: Siripat Lions building future leaders through girls’ rugby - IOL

All eyes on the ball: A young player races forward during the Siripat Lions Girls’ 7s Rugby Festival at the Siripat Road Sports Complex in Reservoir Hills. The fast-paced tournament showcased the determination and teamwork of the young players, while giving girls an opportunity to develop their skills, confidence and love for the game.

SIRIPAT LIONS RUGBY CLUB is using girls’ rugby as more than a sporting opportunity — the Reservoir Hills club is deliberately using the game to build confidence, create connections between schools and communities, and broaden opportunities for young women both on and off the field.

That vision was on display on Friday, August 28, when Siripat Lions hosted a Girls’ 7s Rugby Festival at the Siripat Road Sports Complex, bringing together U14 and U17 players from Siripat Lions, Dr AD Lazarus Raptors and Kingsway High School.

Held as Women’s Month drew to a close, the festival combined competitive rugby with mentorship and empowerment, with the club aiming to use sport as a vehicle for community development, social cohesion and player development.

For Kingsway High School, the event marked a significant milestone as it was the school’s first girls’ rugby match.

“It was a proud and empowering moment, giving them the opportunity to break barriers and show that girls can excel in rugby too,” said Kingsway Sports Administrator Maryke Pieters.

“This meant the world to Kingsway High School to see our girls be a part of this phenomenal day and experience.”

The Siripat Lions and Dr AD Lazarus Raptors have been playing contact rugby for the past two years, and the experience of the established teams was evident on the field. The Siripat Lions U14 girls and Dr AD Lazarus Raptors U17s won all their games by margins of more than 50 points.

Siripat Lions chairman Deon Naicker said the significance of the festival could not be measured by the scoreboard.  For Naicker, one of the most memorable moments came after the final whistle, when the girls formed a “tunnel” as they made their way towards the bus. The friendships formed during the festival, he said, were an important part of what the club hoped to achieve through its mentorship and school partnerships.

The players who had competed against one another were now communicating away from the field, creating possibilities for further school-club collaboration — including a planned return visit to Kingsway High School.

The development of those relationships is central to the Siripat Lions’ philosophy.

Junior Coach and Manager of the Dr AD Lazarus Raptors Ruhan Jagessur said the partnership between the clubs demonstrated the value of using rugby to bring people together. “Rugby is the vehicle we use to grow our community and its people,” said Jagessur. “Today was testament to the fact that our Player Mentorship Programme and the partnership between Siripat Lions and Dr AD Lazarus are bearing fruit.”

He said collaborating with Kingsway represented another milestone in building bridges between schools and communities that might otherwise never have connected.

“We look forward to joint events where we go beyond sport — into the classroom and beyond — as we continue to grow our vision of a united community.”

That vision is particularly important to Siripat Lions because the club sees inclusivity as a central part of its community-development role.

Naicker said that while the club had hosted boys’ tournaments during Women’s Month, it was fitting to give girls an opportunity to take centre stage. “As a club with a vision of community development, we need to be as inclusive as possible and recognize the importance of women’s rugby,” he said. “We have a very strong focus on female empowerment and educating the girl child.”

The club believes girls’ rugby in the community is experiencing slow but steady growth, although Naicker said myths and misconceptions about girls participating in rugby still need to be challenged. Parents and players are increasingly beginning to recognize the opportunities offered by women’s rugby, both on and off the field.

For Kingsway, that potential is already evident.

Pieters said the girls gained confidence by participating in a sport they had never played before, while learning important lessons about sportsmanship, togetherness and teamwork.

“They learned the best part about sportsmanship and togetherness,” she said. “Teamwork within the team and with the other team. Building relationships in developing sports.”

She would like to see Kingsway continue developing girls’ rugby, particularly because of the strong interest among its learners.

“We have great interest from our girls in the sport and I think we can just grow from here,” Pieters said.

She believes the possibility of progressing into KZN girls’ rugby and potentially further could create exciting opportunities for the players.

Passing on the legacy: Young rugby players pose with former Springbok Women’s Sevens player Megan Comley during the Siripat Lions Girls’ 7s Festival at the Siripat Road Sports Complex in Reservoir Hills. Comley shared her rugby journey with the players and encouraged them to recognise and embrace opportunities presented through sport, reminding them that the choices they make today can shape who they become tomorrow.

The sporting component of the festival was complemented by an important mentorship session featuring former Springbok Women’s Sevens and Sharks player Megan Comley. Comley, who represented the Sharks, Springboks, Blue Bulls, Golden Lions and Tukkies between 2018 and 2025, addressed all the players after the matches.

But she did not simply speak about rugby.

Comley shared her own journey and the obstacles she had to overcome to reach the pinnacle of the sport. She experienced a troubled childhood and was orphaned at a very young age before overcoming those circumstances to build a career at the highest levels of rugby.

Her message centred on resilience, but also on balance.

The girls were encouraged to understand the importance of education, make knowledgeable decisions and recognize the opportunities that sport can create while also learning how to navigate challenges away from the playing field. “Rugby has given me everything and has made me the person I am,” Comley told the players. “But that said, it is also about taking opportunities when they present themselves and recognising them for what they are. What you do today is who you are tomorrow.”

For the Siripat Lions, Comley’s involvement is intended to be more than a once-off appearance. The club hopes she will interact more closely with the girls during a future, longer tournament where there will be greater time for focused mentorship.

That approach forms part of a broader year-long mentorship programme involving community partners.

Michelle Seepersad of the Rotary Club of Reservoir Hills facilitated an inspirational session encouraging the girls to understand and navigate pressures they may face at school and in wider society.

They were also encouraged to recognize their ability to make a positive difference by giving back to their communities and supporting those who come after them.

The Rotary Anns of the Rotary Club of Reservoir Hills are actively involved in the year-long mentorship programme. Other partners have also contributed to creating opportunities for the young players. Panbake Bakery provided refreshments, while SA Women’s Rugby, through Comley, supported the mentorship component.

Warriors Rugby Club in Dubai, the Hollywood Foundation and the National Lotteries Commission have provided kit and equipment.

The support network reflects the club's belief that developing young players requires more than simply putting them on a rugby field.

Young rugby players from the Girls’ 7s Festival gather at the Siripat Road Sports Complex in Reservoir Hills. The festival brought together young women through rugby while promoting confidence, mentorship and social cohesion. For Siripat Lions Rugby Club, the initiative is about developing players both on and off the field and creating opportunities for young people from different communities to connect and grow.

Naicker said the ultimate hope is that the girls will learn from the experiences presented to them and recognize the opportunities that can emerge through rugby.

Through tournaments and the mentorship programme, the players interact with girls from similar and very different backgrounds and communities.

The intention, he said, is to open their minds to new ways of thinking.

The approach is already producing results that the club regards as encouraging, with Naicker saying 14 provincial rugby players have been selected from Reservoir Hills this year alone.

Dr AD Lazarus Deputy Principal Dr Rekha Mahadev and Sports Master Mrs Parthab have also welcomed the development of the Raptors’ girls’ programme, saying its success can contribute to the growth of the school’s sporting programmes and the opportunities they create for young women.

The Siripat Lions now plan to take the programme beyond the August festival.

A return visit to Kingsway High School is being planned, alongside further tournaments at the Siripat Road Sports Complex featuring more teams.

The club also wants future events to include longer, day-long mentorship programmes involving a wider range of community role players.

The aim is not simply to produce more female rugby players.

It is to create an environment where young women can encounter positive role models, develop confidence, learn to make informed decisions, build friendships across community boundaries and recognize that their possibilities extend beyond what they may currently see around them.

And perhaps that is why the image of the girls leaving the complex together matters so much to the organizers.

After the final whistle, the opposition teams were no longer simply opponents. They were young women who had shared a field, learned from one another and formed new friendships.

For the Amabhubesi — “The Lions” — the legacy they are trying to build in Reservoir Hills is therefore bigger than rugby.

They are planting the roots of a community in which sport becomes a bridge, mentorship becomes an investment and young women are given the confidence and opportunity to shape what comes next.