By Adnaan Mohamed
In the storm-tossed sea of the Cape Flats, where life often tackles harder than any front-row forward, one rugby club stands as an unsinkable ark a vessel of hope, discipline, and brotherhood carrying young men toward safer shores.
Hamediehs Rugby Football Club, born in District Six in 1896, is one of South Africa’s oldest rugby institutions. Today, its home in Vygieskraal, Athlone stands as a sanctuary for hundreds of boys navigating life’s toughest scrums.
For these kids, Hamediehs isn’t just a team – it’s a lifeline. A second family. A patch of grass where discipline, identity and pride grow stronger with every pass and tackle.
Ark of Hope – A Hamediehs Story
The following video follows a 13-year-old boy’s journey, as he navigates the harsh realities of life on the Cape Flats in Cape Town.
His salvation comes in the form of Hamediehs RFC, a club that is more than just a team, it is a brotherhood built on love and perseverance.
For this young man and his teammates, Hamediehs is the enduring ark that carries them through the floods of adversity, offering a powerful hope of triumph.
And now, they’ve found a mentor in Peter de Villiers, the former Springbok coach who once led the national side to glory between 2008 and 2011 but now finds meaning far beyond Test arenas.
“For me, rugby is part of my life,” says De Villiers.
“But to them, rugby is their life. Rugby makes them who they are. It makes them enjoy being alive.”
Every weekend at Vygieskraal, the sidelines erupt in noise and emotion with passionate parents doubling as coaches, grandparents cheering through memories, and entire families finding purpose through the game.
“You can see on the sidelines how many coaches they have with parents living through their children, through a club they’ve built over the years,” says De Villiers.
While many rugby systems chase pure talent, Hamediehs takes a different approach – one rooted in patience, heart, and belief.
“Wherever you go, people look for talent,” he explains.
“Here, people don’t care about talent, because everybody has it. They go for potential.
Talent has a sell-by date, but potential can be developed. We’re using rugby to help them become the best human beings they can be.”
It’s an ethos that mirrors life itself.
“With all the emotions that life throws at you, rugby throws them too,” De Villiers adds.
“If you learn how to handle it here, you can go back into life and make a valuable contribution to someone else.”
For a man who’s coached on the biggest stages, it’s the grassroots energy of Hamediehs that has truly captured his soul.
“I said it to them the other night:
“I’d easily trade the Springbok job for a job like this if I’m able to share my knowledge with people like them.”
Through wars, forced removals and decades of struggle, Hamediehs RFC has weathered every storm. What began in District Six still lives on – a brotherhood that refuses to sink.
Today, it remains an ark of hope, carrying each new generation across the turbulent waters of the Cape Flats – one try, one lesson, one life at a time.
130-year-old Hamediehs Rugby Football Club Legacy
Established: 1896
Base: Vygieskraal, Athlone, Cape Town
Origin: District Six – one of South Africa’s oldest clubs
Legacy: Building character, not just players
Motto: Brotherhood Through Rugby