"Off the Paddocks..."

  Whilst spending the weekend camping with all my coaches and over 150 schoolboy rugby players on the Parel Vallei Rugby Dad's & Lads Camp in March of 2020, never did I realize that would be my last time with my PV Rugby family or any rugby family for that matter "On the Paddocks..." The Pandemic struck and effectively killed schoolboy rugby in SA, and so what I did full time for a living (That being said holding probably one of the Top 30 highest paid schoolboy rugby jobs in South Africa)  Doing what I love, loving what I do 6 days a week, 10 months a year. Enough of the sobbing - the previous blogpost covered that... What saved my life since, and kept me sane since May of 2020 is RUGBYCOFFEE and what we do "Off the Paddocks... " Corne du Rand, my former Tuks rugby team mate shared his dream of hoping to bring about change in the lives of children across the world through rugby and coffee. We both believed that rugby and coffee bring people together and mak...

This is where I will share my thoughts, feelings & opinion on systems, politics and everything at play "Off the Paddocks..."  Since leaving our life in South Africa behind in October 2020, and temporarily forced into "rugby-exile" I have thought it well to put my experiences, thoughts and feelings as I navigate the Canadian rugby scene... Canada has for the first time in its proud rugby history (I am a huge fan, supporter & soon to be citizen) sadly failed to qualify for the Rugby World Cup!  Rugby development at grassroots level, or the complete lack thereof in my region of the province is a prime example why...  I find myself in a dynamic, innovative border city where rugby at university level sadly died a tragic death in 2007... More so a local rugby club exists, and have for 60 years, yet no junior structure, or efforts to actively build a pipeline for the future of tomorrow?  There is so much money being thrown around everywhere, still nothing is happen...