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Rassie’s Secret Weapon: The Clip That Lit the Fire in the Bok Camp

Adnaan MohamedRugby, SpringboksLeave a Comment on Rassie’s Secret Weapon: The Clip That Lit the Fire in the Bok Camp
By Adnaan Mohamed

This week, in the quiet hum of Springbok camp before the thunder of the tackling France at the Stade de France in Paris, Rassie Erasmus pressed play on a short video, and silence fell.

The clip came from Hamediehs Rugby Football Club (RFC), a 130-year-old Cape Flats institution that’s been a lifeline for generations of kids dodging the dangers of the streets. In it, a 13-year-old boy battles the daily storms of township life, poverty, violence, temptation, until he finds his refuge on the rugby field.

It’s not just a club. It’s an ark in a flood.

Featuring former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers, who mentors at Hamediehs, the video’s message “Rugby Saved Us” struck a chord deep within the Boks.

Erasmus, marking his 50th Test in charge, knew the story would speak louder than any team talk. When he showed it, the room grew still. Every player saw a reflection of their own journey.

“Salaam! (Peace), yes, that video is special for so many reasons,” said Siya Kolisi, preparing for his 100th Test as captain.

“In that clip we saw what club rugby does for kids in the community.”

Then his voice slowed, his words carrying the weight of lived truth.

“Rugby is more than just a sport to us. People say that, but for us, it saved us. It kept us from so many things we were never supposed to be exposed to as children.”

Kolisi knows the boy’s pain because he once was that boy, the kid from Zwide who found light in a muddy field, who rose from hunger to hoisting the Webb Ellis Cup in 2019 and again in 2023.

“To see that clip and know kids are still going through that, it hits deep,” he said.

“I’ve been given a platform, and it’s our duty to make sure we create a better tomorrow for those kids — to make it safer, to give them choices. That’s what rugby has done for me.”

For Kolisi, this 100th cap isn’t about records or medals. It’s about meaning.

“It’s not just about the trophies,” he said. “The trophies give us a platform to give back. This game isn’t about me, it’s for those kids at Hamediehs, for every boy and girl whose lives are changed by rugby.”

Erasmus, ever the innovator, often reminds his team that victory isn’t just on the scoreboard.

“Coach Rassie speaks about it all the time,” Kolisi added. “It’s not just about winning or losing. Our drive goes deeper. Rugby doesn’t just change lives for 80 minutes; it saves them from the things that can take their lives away.”

So when Kolisi leads the Boks onto the Stade de France turf on Saturday night, that Hamediehs boy, and every child who’s found safety in rugby’s embrace, will run beside him.

Because for Kolisi and the millions who see themselves in his story, rugby isn’t just a game.

It’s hope.
It’s family.
It’s the hand that pulls you from the storm.

Watch the video: Rugby Saved Us

https://www.theathlete.co.za/2025/11/04/peter-de-villiers-id-trade-the-bok-job-for-this-hamediehs-rfcs-heartbeat-of-hope

Related story:

https://www.theathlete.co.za/2023/10/08/watch-siya-kolisi-congratulate-hamediehs-in-a-special-selfie-video

Source: SA Rugby

Teams:

France: 15 Tomas Ramos, 14 Damien Penaud, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Gaël Fickou, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Nolann le Garrec, 8 Mickaël Guillard, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Régis Montagne, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Baptiste Erdocio.
Replacements: 16 Guillaume Cramont, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Dorian Aldegheri 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Hugo Auradou, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Maxime Lucu, 23 Nicolas Depoortère

South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Boan Venter.
Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Ruan Nortje, 21 Andre Esterhuizen, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok.

Date: Saturday, November 8
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick-off: 21.10 (22.10 SAST; 20.10 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) & Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)

Peter de Villiers: “I’d trade the Bok job for this”

Adnaan MohamedRugby, SpringboksLeave a Comment on Peter de Villiers: “I’d trade the Bok job for this”
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