SA Rugby has announced a groundbreaking three-year deal on Wednesday that will have Engen power the rugby development programme Get Into Rugby.

The Get Into Rugby programme – which forms part of World Rugby’s strategy to grow the game globally and encourage players of all ages to try, play and stay in rugby –  is a grassroots development initiative, with its reach extending across all nine provinces in South Africa.

 In 2019 alone, 177,034 young girls and boys participated in the programme, while 1,486 coaches, 1,110 teachers, and 427 referees have been trained since 2016.

 The programme was launched as a pilot project in 2013 and 2014, and rolled out nationally in 2015, developing into SA Rugby’s biggest development initiative.

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‘Get Into Rugby forms a vital cog in the growth and development of the sport in South Africa for girls and boys, and we are delighted to have a leading brand in Engen as the official sponsor of the programme,’ SA Rugby president Mark Alexander said.

‘It is through programmes such as these that we can tap into the hidden talent in both the rural and urban areas across the country, and develop the next generation of Siya Kolisis and Makazole Mapimpis.

‘With 82% of the programme’s participants last year being African and 18% coloured, with 49% of them girls, Get Into Rugby truly reflects our objectives, especially in terms of transformation and equipping young girls to take up rugby.’

The three-year deal will also make Engen the official fuel partner of the Springboks.

‘Our partnership with the Get Into Rugby initiative will help ensure rugby continues to flourish at the community level upwards so that South Africa can keep producing winning teams and exciting their passionate fanbase,’ said Engen managing director and CEO Yusa Hassan.

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Photo: Roger Sedres/SA Rugby