My Rugby Journey

Ladies and gentlemen, adjudicators, and fellow students. “Failure is part of the plan, but don’t
plan to fail.” Blimey, those are some relatable words. Let me tell you just how relatable they are.

I've been playing rugby since I was just a “pikkie” in primary school, starting off in the little under
7B team. Back then I was just a scrawny kid who loved running around with a ball, but I had no
idea the impact this sport would have on my life.

As I got older I kept going to practices, training week in and week out, hoping to make it in to the
A-team each year. But more often than not I found myself on the sidelines, watching my friends
in their flashy jerseys, living the dream. It was tough not being selected sometimes, I won't lie - It
was tough seeing all my efforts come to nothing. A few times I even thought about throwing in
the towel, and retiring early.

But something inside me kept driving me on. I loved the game too much to give up that easily. So
I dug deeper, putting in the work in my free time. Every chance I had to have a rugby ball in my
hands, I took. Slowly but surely I started seeing results. I began making progress. And eventually
I even earned a spot in the under 11A team. I will never forget the “buzz” I felt when I’d been
selected.

Of course it wasn't plain sailing from there. Just the following year, I found myself in the under 13
B team. As gutting as it was, I wasn't about to let a knock back be the end of the road. If anything
it lit a fire in me, fuelling me to come back stronger the next time around. And it paid off - I
fought my way back into the A team and proved to myself I had what it takes.

Then in my early high school years catastrophe struck when Covid cancelled our season, 2 years
in a row. It was devastating at the time but I was determined not to let the virus beat me. I kept
up my training at home, visualising myself back out on the pitch once more. And sure enough in
under 16 the call finally came again.

By that point I realised I was much smaller than the other guys. I had to find some sort of an
advantage to event the playing field. so I began to work on my stamina and mental toughness. By
the end of that year, there was not a more hard working person than myself. Slowly my efforts
started to be recognised. Before I knew it, I was in Grade 11. It was my first year playing open
rugby and I was a junior. I had to make a good impression. So I put my hard work on display and
in the end it paid off. I got the chance to represent the senior 1st XV. This was a dream come
true!
But it seems my story had one final twist. I am now in my Matric year, and my senior rugby
season has just started. Only yesterday I was asked to lead these lads as captain of the school’s
1st rugby team. Who'd have thought that a “pikkie”,with terrible hand-eye could-ordination,would
end up here! It's one of my proudest achievements.

So, that’s why the words “Failure is a part of the plan, but don’t plan to fail” are so relatable. My
journey shows that sometimes you have to eat a good few chunks of dirt before you can have
your days in the sun. It proves that nothing worth having comes easy, and that the true rewards
in life come from displaying grit, and never taking no for an answer. Don't be afraid to fall - use it
as fuel to come back stronger.

That's the lesson I'll take into my final season, and the lesson I’ll take into the rest of my life.
Thank you.