Some of World’s Top Rugby players head to Cape Town in November
Stars like Branco du Preez, Lwazi Mvovo, Sisanda Ndlela, Lorinda Brown, Nomsa Mokwai, Jongi Nokwe and Frankie Horne look to leave their mark at the international Rugby Tens Championship in Cape Town.
The 3rd edition of the Rugby Tens Championship (R10C) will see some experienced campaigners showcasing their skills at the Charles Morkel Stadium in Strand, Cape Town on 18, 22 and 25 November 2023. There is also a good mix of exciting new prospects and international Olympian and World Cup stars, who will join the franchises in the fight for the Franchise trophy.
Spectators can expect former Springboks, but also former Blitzboks in action. Lwazi Mvovo will don the colours of the Cape Town Wild Dogs, while Jongi Nokwe and Braam van Straaten will coach the Balkans Honey Badgers and San Clemente Rhinos respectively. Nokwe is joined by Sean Erasmus, who has enjoyed a lot of success as the Paarl Boys High and SA Schools coach.
“We are very excited with the calibre of players heading to this year’s Rugby Tens Championship,” says co-founder and CEO, Andreea Trufasu. “Apart from some of the elite players we’re announcing today, the competition will also feature exciting up-and-coming players from across the world, including South Africa.”
Sevens specialist and most capped Blitzbok of all-time, Branco du Preez will ply his trade at the Rhinos, while Frankie Horne takes the reins and will share his experience as General Manager and Head Coach at the Serengeti Elephants.
Sevens players from around the world will also be in action, which includes players that have represented their country at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and on the HSBC 7s Series. There are also a number of 15s players who have represented their country on the global stage.
Shona-Leah Weston and Nomsa Mokwai (Wild Dogs), Voice Ndou (Elephants), and Sisanda Ndlela (Honey Badgers) have all represented South Africa in international matches while there is a healthy contingent of other international stars who have represented Kenya, Ireland, USA, Australia, Scotland, England, Canada, Jamaica, Mexico and more.
The Wild Dogs will feature Joanah Ngan-Woo, who has won the Women’s World Cup with the Black Ferns in 2021. Ndou is joined at the Elephants by Judith Okumu, Stellah Wafula, Christabel Lindo, Grace Okulu (all four are Olympians) and Renee Gonzalez (Canada 7s and 15s).
The Honey Badgers will feature the experienced Aoife McDermott (19 caps) and Anna Caplice (16 caps) who have represented Ireland in international matches and the Six Nations. They are joined by Georgina Friedrichs, Katrina Barker (Both Australia 7s and 15’s), and Pleuni Kievit (Dutch 7s). The Honey Badgers Academy can look forward to learning a lot from their head coach, Tamara Taylor. She has 114 international caps and has been named English Player of the Year twice. Currently she is the head coach of the Sweden XV Women’s team.
Other international players include Oscar Ouma (Kenya 7s captain and Olympian), Collins Javan, Alvin Marube and Michael Agevi (all three Kenya 7s) who will represent the Elephants. The Rhinos will feature André van der Berg, who represented Namibia at the 2023 World Cup in France. He is joined by Alain Altahona (Columbia 15s), and Elkeans Musonye (Kenya). The Rhinos will also enjoy the experience that Lorinda Brown du Plessis brings as a coach, she has played in 7s and 15s World Cup tournaments and has been South African player of the year.
The R10C, will also feature upcoming stars from the Currie Cup and Varsity Cup who will benefit and learn a lot from their experienced peers. Chadd Adams (Elephants), Varsity Cup prospect, and Vianca Boer (Elephants), NWU Women’s 7’s player of the year, are just some of the players who will aim to leave their mark.
How teams are selected for the Rugby Tens Championship.
Six franchises will participate in the competition. Each franchise will field four teams (Elite men and women, u/18 boys and u/18 girls) who aim to lift the coveted Franchise Champion Cup.
Each team has a squad of 20 players, 15 of which will roster for each game. A minimum of 10 players in the squad are forwards while six of those are able to play in the front row.
The six franchises are the Cape Town Wild Dogs (Southern Africa), Balkans Honey Badgers (Europe and Middle East), Serengeti Elephants (Eastern Africa), San Clemente Rhinos (USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbeans), the Blue Bulls and the Western Province.
Each of the international teams has at least six players from the franchise’s region, and a further six players from the region where the competition is hosted. For this year, with the competition being hosted in Cape Town,, each team will have at least six players from Southern Africa.
In addition, as part of giving back to the local rugby community in Strand, each Men and Women team has a player selected from Helderberg Rugby Club.
This selection process aims to provide opportunities for players from each region while the host region’s players also enjoy exposure and local communities benefit as well.
Tickets to the Rugby Tens Championship are now available on Ticketmaster.co.za.
About R10C
The Rugby Tens Championship (R10C) is a professional Rugby 10s competition that offers equal opportunities to athletes worldwide. Through its franchises, each fielding men’s, women’s, boys’, and girls’ teams, R10C is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in rugby.
For more information R10C, visit RugbyTens.com
Media contact
Jaco-Louis Groenewald
ASEM Engage
+27 (0)21 418 7845
Likho Nonyongo
ASEM Engage
+27 (0)21 418 7845
