South Africa's deaf rugby team will face their English and Welsh counterparts in November.

The South African Deaf Rugby Union (Sadru) secured affiliation as an associate member of Saru in March and has now gained an IRB sanction for Test rugby, which also qualifies them to participate in the 2015 Deaf Rugby World Championship in Wales.

Sadru has grown substantially since its rebirth in 2007, with over 50 deaf rugby players officially registered on its database.

Danie Engelbrecht is the Deafboks head coach with Michael Oosthuizen and Raymond Jonker, who are both deaf, the forwards and backline coaches respectively. Sadru president Tim Stones will tour with the side as the team manager.

Despite securing Saru affiliation, the Deafboks still need to find their own sponsors in order to go on tour and participate in the World Championship. The union has plans to raise the funds required to make their dreams a reality and continue with their impressive growth.

By Brandon Yates