Reflections from Ikey Tigers’ Club President, Neville Isdell, after the Maties game

As I look back from Barbados at Ikey rugby , I can view from a considerable distance. My last view of the first team and the short term pain of undeservedly losing to the Maties, gives me a very optimistic take on the UCT rugby club. The total commitment on the field, playing not as individuals but as a team, says it all.

We have excellent leadership and support on and off the field and a level of financial stability which allows us to focus on future improvement. What excites me is how we set ourselves apart with our twin focus on academic excellence and running rugby. At the Maties game, I sat between our VC and our Springbok rugby captain who provide support from their own lofty, successful pinnacle. What a great basis upon which to build for the future. Academic excellence and athletic commitment joined together. It sets us apart.

This message is a powerful one as we recruit for the future. A World class university and a World rugby championship winner. Why would you send your son ,and increasingly your daughter as we develop women’s rugby, anywhere else? The attached selfie taken by the VC says it all.

We all stand on the shoulders of others and we should not forget the tireless work over the past ten years from a small group of committed former players, moving from a very tenuous situation to where we are today.
The task is not finished but with our clarity of purpose as to who and what we are, we can, must, and will take the club, with integrity, to the next level. It is a strong base on which to build and build we must.

Ikey Tigers Club President
Neville Isdell