By Sonica Naudé-Steyn

The newly established Kokstad female rugby team made history on Saturday morning by winning their first official match.
In a first for Kokstad, a female rugby team had been started late last year with school girls practicing at the Kokstad Rugby Club. On Thursday evening the girls received their jerseys during an official capping ceremony in which Tasne Davey was named Captain and Leah Bennett, Vice Captain.
On Saturday the team played their inaugural match against Girls Highs School (PMB) and won by 2 points. It was a significant game and a first for both recently established teams.
The girls played fearlessly and with passion and earned every point on the board, however Kokstad managed to convert one of their tries, which clenched their victory. The highlight of the day was by far the camaraderie shown both on and off the field. Players from opposite sides helping each other up, carrying off injured players and cheering for each other at the conclusion. Even the referee commended the girls for their performance and encouraged them to continue growing and improving. The game was a definite crowd pleaser with supporters often showing surprise at some of the hard tackles!
A word from team co-coach, Matt Bennett: I would like to thank the following people and businesses for their contribution to our team and the success of our first home game. Roylats Spar; Lucky – Twizza; Pick n Pay; Shiraaz – Highway Motor Spares; Belinda Bennett – One Solution Enterprise; Andre Marais – Mzansi Precast; Raph Dunn – TC4 Consulting PTY LTD; Phakamani Ngema and Sicelo Kunene – Masibambane Investments PTY LTD; Fred Nichols – Kokstad Rugby Club; Thulani Dyantyi – KZNRU Development Officer (Harry Gwala); Sonica – Kokstad Advertiser. Our parents, Carey Kok and Zenobia Holzhausen. Our Coaches, Landre, Yola and Sicelo. Our parents and community who came out to support and cheer for our team. To the team. You girls showed up and lay your bodies on the line for your team. Well done to you all. A massive thank you to you all. We couldn’t have done this without you. Our team is in need of sponsorship. We have 6 games planned for the year with an end of year tournament. We need assistance with traveling costs, kit and equipment. We look forward to working with you to promote female rugby in our area. Matt Bennett – Kokstad Female Rugby Club.