{"id":45625,"date":"2024-01-11T08:57:26","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T06:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/"},"modified":"2024-01-11T08:57:26","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T06:57:26","slug":"anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/","title":{"rendered":"Anzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

After suffering severe injury to his neck while playing in a rugby tournament in September last year, which initially left him paralysed, four months later an avid rugby player, Anzil Williams (16) from Humansdorp, is looking forward to continuing positive results in his recovery, and celebrating all the excitement of being in matric.<\/p>\n

Spokesperson for the Williams family, Shahida Japtha, said that Anzil was home for the first time in three months and spent the Christmas holidays with his family, after the tragic accident which took place while he represented Humansdorp Senior Secondary School in a sevens rugby tournament in Knysna. <\/p>\n

Japtha said that Anzil, who is currently receiving physical rehabilitation at Aurora Special Care Centre in Gqeberha, was home from December 22 to 26, which they were all truly grateful for since he had not been home for quite some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was wonderful for Anzil and the rest of the family to have him home, and we all had a good time together. During his short stay at home he was able to spend time with his cousins, and some of his friends. It was also a good break away from the hospital,\u201d said Japtha. <\/p>\n

She said that Anzil\u2019s recovery has been showing great progress each day, and that the doctors were surprised by how well he was coping with his progress during their daily physiotherapy sessions.<\/p>\n

\n
Anzil\u2019s recovery is happening really quickly. We thank God for all that He has done for Anzil and our family over the last few months. We are people of faith, and we believe that he will be restored and healed.<\/div>\n
Japtha<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

After spending almost three months at Aurora, his time at the centre will come to an end later this month, and they are still waiting for confirmation on his discharge date.<\/p>\n

Japtha said that he will still need to continue with his physiotherapy sessions once he is back home in Humansdorp, and they are therefore researching various options which will work best for both Anzil and his family.<\/p>\n

She said that most physiotherapists are based in Jeffreys Bay, and they are currently searching for the best place that can accommodate Anzil and his routine.<\/p>\n

Despite the outpouring of support and financial assistance from people in South Africa and all over the world, which they are grateful for, Japtha said that they will still need a great deal of support to help Anzil receive the assistance he needs.<\/p>\n

She said that they are therefore encouraging people to contribute to Anzil\u2019s BackaBuddy campaign which can be found on the BackaBuddy website.<\/p>\n

Even though Anzil has faced many challenges on his road to recovery, Japtha said that he has remained positive at least 90 percent of the time. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnzil has always been a positive person, before and after the accident. The pictures we share on social media of him smiling are a true reflection of his positivity,\u201d said Japtha.<\/p>\n

She further said that since he passed Grade 11 last year, he has made the decision to continue with Grade 12 which he will complete through the home-schooling system.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Anzil received his results last year, we consulted with him to find out if he wanted to continue with Grade 12 this year, and he was more than eager. He made the decision himself and he is excited about being in matric,\u201d said Japtha.<\/p>\n

She said that as a family they have continuously motivated Anzil and have encouraged him to believe that he will make a full recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After suffering severe injury to his neck while playing in a rugby tournament in September last year, which initially left him paralysed, four months later an avid rugby player, Anzil Williams (16) from Humansdorp, is looking forward to continuing po<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":45627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_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":"862161d5-b9cd-4aad-923e-e08ff69f0930","_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":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_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":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Razaan Plaatjies","background_color":"","block_editor":"","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":"","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":[],"_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":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-45625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAnzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Anzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After suffering severe injury to his neck while playing in a rugby tournament in September last year, which initially left him paralysed, four months later an avid rugby player, Anzil Williams (16) from Humansdorp, is looking forward to continuing po\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/\" \/>\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=\"2024-01-11T06:57:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"608\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"464\" \/>\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=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa\"},\"headline\":\"Anzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-11T06:57:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":586,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2024\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/\",\"name\":\"Anzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-11T06:57:26+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg\",\"width\":608,\"height\":464,\"caption\":\"Anzil Williams (16) from Humansdorp suffered a severe neck injury while playing in a rugby tournament in September 2023, but has continued to remain positive throughout his recovery process. Photo: SUPPLIED\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Anzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.\",\"email\":\"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"042-992 5650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/author\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Anzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury | Kouga Express","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Anzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury","og_description":"After suffering severe injury to his neck while playing in a rugby tournament in September last year, which initially left him paralysed, four months later an avid rugby player, Anzil Williams (16) from Humansdorp, is looking forward to continuing po","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/","og_site_name":"Kouga Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2024-01-11T06:57:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":608,"height":464,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Razaan Plaatjies","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kouga Express","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/"},"author":{"name":"Kouga Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa"},"headline":"Anzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury","datePublished":"2024-01-11T06:57:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/"},"wordCount":586,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2024","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/","name":"Anzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury | Kouga Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg","datePublished":"2024-01-11T06:57:26+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg","width":608,"height":464,"caption":"Anzil Williams (16) from Humansdorp suffered a severe neck injury while playing in a rugby tournament in September 2023, but has continued to remain positive throughout his recovery process. Photo: SUPPLIED"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-remains-positive-after-rugby-injury-20240110\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Anzil (16) remains positive after rugby injury"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","name":"Kouga Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization","name":"Kouga Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Kouga Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/"],"description":"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.","email":"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"042-992 5650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa","name":"Kouga Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kouga Express"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/author\/kougaexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7ebfe3f99b0a460992a1e3d664938886.jpeg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45504,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/thanksgiving-service-hosted-in-anzils-honour-20240131\/","url_meta":{"origin":45625,"position":0},"title":"Thanksgiving service hosted in Anzil\u2019s honour","author":"Kouga Express","date":"1 February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"After spending three months at Aurora Special Care Centre in Gqeberha, receiving physical rehabilitation following a severe injury to his neck while playing in a rugby tournament in September last year, Anzil Williams (16) from Humansdorp is finally","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0788e1589caa474bb9d125955bf45a25.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0788e1589caa474bb9d125955bf45a25.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0788e1589caa474bb9d125955bf45a25.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45122,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/anzil-16-begins-exciting-new-journey-at-gla-20240410\/","url_meta":{"origin":45625,"position":1},"title":"Anzil (16) begins exciting new journey at GLA","author":"Kouga Express","date":"12 April 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Following a severe injury to his neck at a rugby tournament in September 2023, which saw him being hospitalised for four months, Anzil Williams (16) from Humansdorp, is thrilled to start his school journey again at Global Leadership Academy in Jeffre","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bdf3631eb49b4b0b93ab0c6309ada639.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":56214,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/grow-rugby-to-host-tournament-20190313-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":45625,"position":2},"title":"Grow Rugby to host tournament","author":"Kouga Express","date":"14 March 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"GROW Rugby will host a four-day rugby tournament at Vosloo Park in Humansdorp from March 14 to 18.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47714,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/local-rugby-enthusiast-helps-team-achieve-success-20230201\/","url_meta":{"origin":45625,"position":3},"title":"Local rugby enthusiast helps team achieve success","author":"Kouga Express","date":"2 February 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Avid rugby player and mother of five, Beryl Speelman\u2019s passion for rugby and uplifting the women in her Humansdorp community led her to establishing her own all-female rugby team \u2013 and with hard work and dedication has seen her team winning the prestigious Geneva Scholtz Women\u2019s Rugby Tournament.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1e5d0209062c46da8c4e687e33a35a95.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1e5d0209062c46da8c4e687e33a35a95.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1e5d0209062c46da8c4e687e33a35a95.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1e5d0209062c46da8c4e687e33a35a95.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49073,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/rugby-academy-established-to-uplift-youth-20220413\/","url_meta":{"origin":45625,"position":4},"title":"Rugby academy established to uplift youth","author":"Kouga Express","date":"14 April 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"To help combat drug abuse among young people in Humansdorp and to provide those who are interested in playing professional rugby the opportunity to improve their skills, a group of locals has established the Titans Rugby Academy.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8e9119cbe5403d81e2765a1bad1e55.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8e9119cbe5403d81e2765a1bad1e55.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8e9119cbe5403d81e2765a1bad1e55.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8e9119cbe5403d81e2765a1bad1e55.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8e9119cbe5403d81e2765a1bad1e55.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45737,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-to-host-first-rugby-10s-sports-festival-20231213\/","url_meta":{"origin":45625,"position":5},"title":"Kouga to host first Rugby 10s Sports Festival","author":"Kouga Express","date":"14 December 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"For the first time this year the Kouga region will host the Kouga 10s Rugby Sports Festival at Twisters Sports Field in Humansdorp, from December 15 to 17, where 1 000 athletes will compete in rugby and netball matches.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d2620a266dbd4e159360a6413d36e90d.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d2620a266dbd4e159360a6413d36e90d.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d2620a266dbd4e159360a6413d36e90d.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kouga Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45625"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=45625"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=45625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}