Boks hail incredible Belhar support

Cape Town - The community of Belhar near Bellville in Cape Town came out in their thousands to support the Springboks’ open training session on Monday afternoon. This outing by the Springboks formed part of the national rugby team’s #LoveRugby campaign.

The community watched a full-on Springbok training session, which was also part of the squad’s preparations for their first Castle Lager Incoming Test match against Ireland at DHL Newlands on Saturday.

Bok coach, Allister Coetzee, and his assistant coaches drilled the squad during a strenuous session and afterwards the thousands of excited supporters were treated to some fun games on the field between few young fans and their Bok heroes.

Springbok captain, Adriaan Strauss, said afterwards they were delighted by the huge turnout of local supporters. “We saw once more today what Springbok rugby means to our fans across South Africa. The community made this an unbelievable experience and the Springboks will certainly remember this special reception for a long time. Everyone had a great time and it was wonderful to experience the awesome amount of passion displayed by so many fans, young and old. They again reminded us what a huge honour and privilege it is to represent the Springboks,” said Strauss.

According to Bronson Weir, coach of the Belhar Rugby Club, the level of excitement were building for weeks since the confirmation of the Boks’ visit to the community rugby field.

He explains: “What happened today was really special, the Springboks are our heroes and it was so inspiring for the youngsters of the community to see their Bok heroes right in front of their own eyes, on their own rugby field. It was a real community effort and the day finished on a high note when the Bok players went into the crowd to sign autographs. We want to wish them well for the Test series against Ireland – the community of Belhar is right behind the Bokke,” said Weir.