MOTHERWELL RFC left wing, Sandile Sader Mdashe, believes that discipline plays a significant role for players’ success.
Mdashe, who was born in Guquka Village, at the foot of the Hogsback Mountains in Alice, is one of his club’s most respected players.
He started playing as a Hyena RFC scrumhalf in 2003. He hails from a family that has a high passion for rugby.
He told PE Express that he was a 100m and a 200m star sprinter and a rugby player at his local school.
Mdashe further said that his athletics and rugby school coach played a very important role in his sporting career.
“My coach helped me a lot. He did not exert pressure to us but all he wanted to see was that we should express ourselves as players and runners. He told us that we could achieve more in sport, as long as we should display high levels of discipline on and off the field of play,” said Mdashe.
He sustained a very serious ankle injury that caused him to miss some games for his school and Hyenas RFC.
His challenge that he was faced with, after passing Grade 12, was that he could not get a bursary to pursue with his tertiary education.
Another challenge was that his village side depended on individuals, because they had no financial muscle or sponsorship to run their club.
Be that as it may, Mdashe’s highlights in sport were that he played for KZN Rural Rugby Development in 2009, and then joined the high riding Motherwell RFC. He played for African Bombers RFC in a Super 12 Rugby Competition and part of was Motherwell RFC squad that won league promotion. He emphasised that dedication, commitment, being a team player and his physical fitness were some of his strong points that make him a great rugby player.
He commended his Motherwell RFC coaches, Qondakele Sompondo and Khaya Manana, for their contribution to the side.
“In 2018, new coaches, Sompondo and Manana, arrived at our club, and made a huge difference.
“In fact, they changed the culture of the club.
“They imbued a good spirit into our hearts, as players. We did things differently than we used to do because of the influence of the two coaches,” Mdashe said.
“I strongly believe that disciplined players succeed in life and have long career in sport.”
