{"id":267033,"date":"2025-08-28T15:08:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T13:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?p=267033"},"modified":"2025-08-28T15:17:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T13:17:19","slug":"watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH | Young Hankey amputee captains rugby team to victory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"267034\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\/oluthandonkosinkulu_60683\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/OluthandoNkosinkulu_60683-e1756385614902.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"900,907\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"OluthandoNkosinkulu_60683\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Oluthando Nkosinkulu on the rugby field.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Oluthando Nkosinkulu (7). &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/OluthandoNkosinkulu_60683-768x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/OluthandoNkosinkulu_60683-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"Oluthando Nkosinkulu on the rugby field.\" class=\"wp-image-267034\" style=\"width:380px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oluthando Nkosinkulu (7). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When seven-year-old Oluthando &#8220;Olu&#8221; Nkosinkulu charges down the rugby field with the ball in his hands, spectators quickly forget he is playing with only one leg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 16 August, the Hankey Primary School learner not only captained his u\/6 rugby team to victory but also scored three spectacular tries and was named player of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflecting on the big moment as he was about to score his first try, Olu said that he managed to get past his opponents quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Once I got past my opponents, I was ready to score my try, and that was the best thing,&#8221; said Oluthando.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He went on to score two more tries with his team winning against Jeffreys Bay&#8217;s Victory Christian School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-videopress\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" aria-label='VideoPress Video Player' width='500' height='282' src='https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/oo8awIrJ?cover=1&amp;preloadContent=metadata&amp;useAverageColor=1&amp;hd=0' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" allow='clipboard-write'><\/iframe><script src='https:\/\/v0.wordpress.com\/js\/next\/videopress-iframe.js?m=1770107250'><\/script>\n<\/div><figcaption>Oluthando Nkosinkulu on the rugby field. Credit: Venessa Michaels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Elaborating on his disability, Natasha said that when she was seven months pregnant, doctors discovered that her son&#8217;s foot was connected underneath his knee and warned that the baby might not survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I went to the hospital for scans, and that is where they told me that they didn&#8217;t think Olu was a normal baby, and they didn&#8217;t think that when I gave birth that Olu would make it because they believed that he was an abnormal foetus,&#8221; said Natasha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having suffered three miscarriages before Oluthando, Natasha refused to terminate the pregnancy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I decided to put all my trust in God, so terminating my pregnancy was a no-go,&#8221; said Natasha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said that when Oluthando was born, doctors confirmed he had no other disabilities except for his short leg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 4 August 2018, a day before his first birthday, he underwent surgery where part of his foot was amputated and the leg was lengthened to accommodate a future prosthesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite early medical predictions that Oluthando would never walk, Natasha&#8217;s unwavering support has helped him thrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I have not brought my child up thinking he has a disability. I tell him to live his life and enjoy any sport that he can play,&#8221; says Natasha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, when she approached the school at the beginning of the year about Oluthando&#8217;s participation in sport, her message was clear: &#8220;Let him play rugby; let him play any sport that he puts his heart into. Unless there&#8217;s a rule that says that he&#8217;s not allowed to play with one leg, let&#8217;s just give him a chance and see what happens.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That chance paid off spectacularly on 16 August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his second try, Natasha said that she was on the opposite side of the field shouting for him to go to the try line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said that she believed his adrenaline kicked in and he realised that he could do it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oluthando&#8217;s passion for rugby runs deep, inherited from his father, Thanduxolo Archie Nkosinkulu, who played for the Hankey Villagers rugby team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said that her son is a devoted Springboks fan, with Cheslin Kolbe as his favourite player. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;His Spotify playlist only has Springbok-themed songs or anything to do with Cheslin Kolbe or the Springboks,&#8221; said Natasha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oluthando&#8217;s talent extends beyond rugby as he also competes in athletics using crutches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve told him before, if you don&#8217;t want to play sport, you don&#8217;t have to, but he always says that he wants to participate,&#8221; said Natasha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said that Oluthando loves to tackle and uses every opportunity he gets to tackle his opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Olu&#8217;s strength as a rugby player is his heart, to be honest. If your heart is in it, you are in it. I would say his strong point in rugby is defence and tackling,&#8221; said Natasha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said that they are currently working to secure a new prosthetic leg for Oluthando, who has outgrown his previous one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are also establishing a trust fund to ensure his ongoing medical needs are met as he grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We know that Olu will always need help and always need medical attention when it comes to his leg and fittings,&#8221; said Natasha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, she acknowledges that rugby will become more challenging as Olu gets older and opponents become stronger and more strategic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, she has no doubt about her son&#8217;s resilience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Seven-year-old Olu Nkosinkulu captivates rugby spectators with his exceptional skill, making his single leg an afterthought.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":267131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"67","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"4","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[]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Nkosinkulu (7). PHOTO: SUPPLIED","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Young Hankey amputee captains rugby team to victory","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":["rpRugbyboy_P1"],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[93],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-267033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>WATCH | Young Hankey amputee captains rugby team to victory | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Incredible young amputee scores try and leads his team to victory with three spectacular tries. 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Meet Oluthando&#039;s inspiring journey.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-28T13:08:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-28T13:17:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/rugby-2522306_1280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Razaan Plaatjies\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Razaan Plaatjies\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Razaan Plaatjies\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/46799af196954d0db37033d2e34be364\"},\"headline\":\"WATCH | Young Hankey amputee captains rugby team to victory\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-28T13:08:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-28T13:17:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":726,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/rugby-2522306_1280.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Featured\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\\\/\",\"name\":\"WATCH | Young Hankey amputee captains rugby team to victory | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/watch-young-hankey-amputee-captains-rugby-team-to-victory\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/rugby-2522306_1280.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-28T13:08:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-28T13:17:19+00:00\",\"description\":\"Incredible young amputee scores try and leads his team to victory with three spectacular tries. 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