It was confirmed that SA Rugby withdrew all funding from SA LSEN Rugby despite adding First National Bank to the list of sponsors for the Youth Weeks. The U18 Academy Week, as well as the U13 Craven Week, will, according to sources, also receive no funding this year.
We have confirmed that SA Rugby's funding for LSEN Rugby was cut from an excess of R 1 000 000 in 2013 to R 450 000 in 2024. This year it was cut to zero, nothing, and oops, I almost typed fokkol.
LSEN schools, or Schools for Learners with Special Education Needs, cater to students with a range of disabilities or learning challenges. These schools offer specialised support and resources to help learners with diverse needs thrive academically and socially.
Unfortunately, our "normal" society sees these boys as different; however, they are just boys wanting to live and wanting to play rugby. Unfortunately, 95% of these boys come from extremely poor families where their normal is a struggle to put food on the table. Paying for rugby tours, provincial sports events, and SA events is never part of their day-to-day thoughts.
The 2025 LSEN Craven Week will be hosted at Hoërskool Hoogenhout in Bethal, Mpumalanga. Matches will be played on Saturday, 28 June, Monday, 30 June and Tuesday, 01 July. Thereafter, the U18 SA LSEN team will start preparing for the U18 Academy Week.
With the cutting of their SA Rugby funding, SA LSEN will have to decide if they can afford to send a SA LSEN team to participate in the U18 Academy week. The U18 Academy Week will be hosted in Middelburg this year. According to a source, this could be the final year that an SA U18 LSEN team will be seen at the U18 Academy week, robbing these boys of one of the very few opportunities to experience "normal".
The cost for the SA LSEN team to participate in the 2025 U18 Academy Week is R 176 930,00.
If anyone is willing to help keep their dream alive, please deposit whatever you can in: ABSA Bank, Account Name: SA LSEN Rugby, Account Number: 9253192534, Reference: Name.
If anyone is willing to become involved, they are welcome to contact PC at +27 84 960 6289.
Fixtures - Saturday 28 June 2025:
08:30 Sharks vs Leopards
09:50 Golden Lions vs Blue Bulls
11:10 Valke vs Cheetahs
12:40 Western Province vs SWD
14:00 Eastern Province vs Boland
16:00 Pumas vs Griffons