Wandisile Simelane scoops SA Rugby Young Player of the Year prize
- Tshepiso Mametela
Making the odds and once again writing a special chapter in the annals of South African rugby, former Wits 1st team and current Lions player Wandisile Simelane walked away as the SA Rugby Young Player of the Year at the 2020 SA Rugby Awards held on 3 March.
The former Jeppe High School for Boys centre/ wing warded off stiff competition from Curwin Bosch, Stedman Gans, Ruan Nortje and Dylan Richardson on the way to being named the recipient of the year’s prestigious prize.
Undeniably, the honour goes down as the biggest feather in the cap for the 22-year-old, and is arguably the most enviable present ahead of his birthday celebration later this month. “It’s a definite highlight,” Simelane told Wits Sport in an exclusive interview.
“It’s always good when people notice the hard work and dedication we, as players, put in week in and week out. The feeling has sunk in but I’m quickly letting go as I am preparing for the next competition with the Lions.”
His mercurial rise from SA Schools rugby to Varsity Rugby and now provincial and junior national team contention pays tribute to a stealthy yet simplistic humble naturedness. Hugo van As, who heads the exceptional rugby programme at Wits University, from which the star power of Simelane and many others have emerged, echoed this sentiment.
“The first time we met and saw Wandisile playing was for Jeppe Boys and, obviously, we knew he was very talented and that there was a bright future laying ahead of him as soon as he left school,” said van As.
“In the time he spent playing Varsity Cup for Wits, all the expectations we had of him were confirmed. For me, looking at where he was then and where he is today, I think it is just about experience.
“His experience playing at high level will grow and he will become an even better player the more time he spends in senior rugby [and so on]. His success is a demonstration of what we dream about at Wits Rugby, and that is finding that balance between being a professional sportsman but also being able to study.”
The latter is not lost on Simelane as he said he hopes for the up and coming generation of players to challenge themselves while paying mind to their own absolute potential. “It’s just the willingness to always learn from people around you and to keep on working hard,” he said.
“Never thinking you know too much and that you’ve trained enough. Staying grounded and working hard has always worked for me. To the younger generation: ‘Challenge your limits, don’t limit the challenges. Keep working hard and believe in the abilities that God has blessed you with.’
Wandisile Simelane in the 2017 Varsity Cup campaign