Rugby news from KwaZulu-Natal:
The Incubator Hub – Real Efforts making a Real Difference:
All too often efforts within the CSI space are overshadowed by pristine photo ops with needy children
receiving handouts from high ranking officials from various corporates – and we are all left wondering,
silently though, what real difference is that making ?
It is with that very same question in mind that The Incubator Hub was born. Both The Sharks and
Gagasi alike shared a collective vision of conceptualising a CSI programme that would yield measurable
results with a sustainable impact that in time will translate into a commercially viable and independent
entity – Enterprise Development in its purest form.
The Incubator Hub will seek to afford a limited number of graduates the opportunity to gain real like
work experience whilst earning a stipend. The Hub will initially align itself with MAC charter and the
areas focused on will be Marketing, Advertising and Communication and both The Sharks and Gagasi
are well positioned to expose these incumbents to perils and highlights that the working world has to
offer.
The Incubator will be project managed by Blue Door Theory, a Durban Based strategic creative agency.
COO of The Sharks, Eduard Coetzee stated: “For us transformation is not just restricted to the field
of play, but it involves all sectors of our business. The introduction of this Incubator Hub provides
deserving graduates with the platform to develop their expertise through their involvement in
marketing campaigns and other projects. At the same time, these young creative minds will also be
aiding our business objective of diversifying our fan base into non-traditional markets and they will
have input into the overall engagement plan.
Gagasi General Manager, Vukile Zondi, concurred with the sentiments related to transformation in
action and went on to further add that as a lifestyle brand, The Incubator Hub is key in diversifying the
overall brand relevance of Gagasi. “We are now at the forefront of taking a once FM only brand and
completely adapting the accompanying narrative in terms of how Gagasi is perceived, experienced,
understood and ultimately looked up to.”
For additional comment, please contact:
Gagasi via: khulekanis@gagasi995.co.za
The Sharks via: novashni@thesharks.co.za
Or Blue Door Theory via: info@bluedoortheory.co.za
The post The Incubator Hub – Real Efforts making a Real Difference appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
Heroics and Pride:
Following on from the Cell C Sharks’ 21-all draw with the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday and the 23-15 victory over the Waratahs the previous week, the team are in a good place as they finish off their tour this Saturday.
“The boys are in a good space,” admitted head coach Robert du Preez after the draw with the Crusaders on Friday. “Last week’s win was really good for the boys’ confidence and this game was heart-breaking in the end.
“But you can’t really argue against the three tries they scored while we battled to get our hands on the ball in the second half while territory wasn’t going our way either.”
It was a result that so nearly went our way, with the Crusaders scoring a try and kicking the conversion in the final play of the match, and certainly a praise-worthy effort against the champions.
“It was always going to be difficult against a quality team like the Crusaders and trying to keep them out,” said du Preez.
Playing the Crusaders is no easy task in itself, but this is not simply because they are a well-drilled side with quality players, but because they generally control the tempo of the game and force the run of play to fit in with their style so they can dictate matters.
Last week’s victory over the Lions was their 26th straight win, equalling the record they set between the 2004 and 2007 seasons when they appeared in three finals and won two championships. However, the draw against the Cell C Sharks arrested that run of outstanding successes.
“I thought our kicking game was really outstanding, it worked for us,” said du Preez. Keeping the champions pinned back in their half and then forcing mistakes through lightning fast line speed on defence often turned defence into attack before pressure forced them to concede penalties which Curwin Bosch was converting to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
“We probably could have kicked a bit more in the second half, we were trying to play a little bit too much out of our half,” he said.
The Crusaders hammered away at our line endlessly in the final minutes of the game, knowing that a converted try would rescue them from a first loss in 26 games. We had defended heroically, but a rare victory in Christchurch – and a major upset for the books – was not to be.
“The bench made a good impact when they came on, but in the last five minutes, it was really testing and I’m very proud of the boys for their defensive effort, we made something like 230 or more tackles in the game, really dominant tackles at times. I thought that was outstanding.
“The team is disappointed,” he admitted. “To come here and get away with a win is really difficult. So there is disappointment, but on the other hand, we’re pleased with the two points.”
Du Preez admitted that there were lots of positives to take away from the match.
“There was a lot we could take out of this game,” he said. “The last two weeks show the resolve in the squad. This is a big confidence booster ahead of the Chiefs game in Hamilton.
“The Cell C Sharks enjoy touring, it brings the boys together.”
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GALLERY: DHL Stormers vs. Vodacom Bulls
