Being a talented rugby player has opened doors for a Durban teen from a low-income family, allowing him to attend a top-tier high school on a full scholarship and giving him a chance to go to university.
Njabulo Dlomo, 18, is a Grade 12 pupil at Clifton School, an independent boys’ school in Morningside, Durban, where he has excelled in rugby since he was scouted in primary school and offered a place at the school in Grade 8.
Njabulo, also known as Jubz to his teammates, was chosen as the captain of the first team on March 14 this year.
He said he fell in love with rugby. “My dream was to help uplift the basketball programme but I understood that if I wanted to go to a tier 1 school I would have to get a rugby scholarship but, along that journey, I fell in love with rugby,” he said.
He highlighted that, in rugby, “small things can have a massive impact when done consistently,” adding that this doesn’t just apply to rugby but to life in general.
Njabulo added that what he has learnt from a young age is that “life carries on, so I can’t wait for things to happen, but you have to make them happen”.
He plans to pursue rugby next year.
Grant Bell, director of rugby a Clifton, said Njabulo was accepted at the school after he was brought in by his former coach for a training session.
He said Clifton has a talent identification system.
“I look for someone with athletic ability and character, someone who has the right mindset, passion and is hard-working,” he said, adding that they also invite boys to attend programmes.
Bell said Njabulo joined the school as a Grade 8 pupil and played for the under-14 team.
“Jubz is a wonderful boy, very good manners, well-spoken, softly spoken, very caring and sensitive in the way he treats other kids and very driven,” he said.
“I brought Njabulo to Clifton from a primary school in Pinetown on a rugby scholarship. He came into the school and joined the under-14s. He was a year older than the other boys as he started in Grade 8 to help him with his academics, which gave him another year to settle and find his feet academically.”
Bell said Njabulo came from a modest background but he saw rugby as an opportunity and a chance to make it as a professional.
He said the sport also gave him the opportunity to get a foot in the door at a university or college.
“Jubz has been playing in the first team for the third year in a row, which is quite a feat because most boys play in the first team for one year,” said Bell.
He said the boys choose their captain, and while generally the coaches have input, every boy in the team voted for Njabulo, which reflected his character.
“It gives me a lot of confidence to know that my teammates believe in me to lead them throughout such a challenging season,” said Njabulo.
Bell added that Njabulo had to work hard on his academics.
“Clifton is an IEB school and is more challenging than government schools. IEB schools focus on critical thinking and I hope it sets him up well in life and that it will give him the opportunity to get into university,” he said.
Bell encouraged parents to see what’s out there and to take opportunities available for their children in the sport of rugby.
The Mercury