In the hard-hitting world of the Cape Flats, where life’s tackles come fast and unrelenting, one club stands firm like an ark of hope cutting through the chaos.
Hamediehs Rugby Football Club, born in District Six in 1896, is one of the oldest clubs in South African rugby. Now settled in Vygieskraal, Athlone, it remains a sanctuary for hundreds of young boys. It’s a safe harbour where discipline, pride and purpose take root.
For these kids, Hamediehs isn’t just a rugby club. It’s a lifeline, a second family. A field of dreams where every pass carries potential, and every tackle teaches resilience.
Ark of Hope – A Hamediehs Story
The following video follows a 13-year-old boy’s journey, as he navigates the harsh realities of life on the Cape Flats in Cape Town.
His salvation comes in the form of Hamediehs RFC, a club that is more than just a team, it is a brotherhood built on love and perseverance.
For this young man and his teammates, Hamediehs is the enduring ark that carries them through the floods of adversity, offering a powerful hope of triumph.
And right in the middle of it all is Peter de Villiers, the former Springbok coach whose love for rugby runs deeper than any scoreboard could show.
De Villiers, who guided the Boks between 2008 and 2011, has thrown his full weight behind the club’s mission. He’s not there for glory or headlines, but to serve.
“For me, rugby is part of my life,” says De Villiers.
“But to them, rugby is their life. Rugby makes them who they are. It makes them enjoy being alive.”
Every weekend at Vygieskraal, the sidelines hum with the pulse of community, parents coaching from the fence, old boys cheering on new faces, the echoes of history blending with the energy of youth.
“You can see on the sidelines how many coaches they have with parents living through their children, through a club they’ve built over the years,” De Villiers smiles.
But what makes Hamediehs truly special is its approach to the game. They not chasing raw talent, but nurturing potential.
“Wherever you go, people look for talent,” he says. “Here, people don’t care about talent, because everybody has it.
“They go for potential. Talent has a sell-by date, but potential can be developed. We’re using rugby to help them become the best human beings they can be.”
That belief transforms every training session into more than sport — it becomes a life lesson.
“With all the emotions that life throws at you, rugby throws them too. If you learn how to handle it here, you can go back into life and make a valuable contribution to someone else.”
For De Villiers, it’s a reminder that the truest form of coaching isn’t found in stadiums filled with cameras, it’s on community fields filled with heart.
“I said it to them the other night . I’d easily trade the Springbok job for a job like this if I’m able to share my knowledge with people like them.”
Through wars, forced removals, and generations of struggle, Hamediehs RFC has never lost its soul.
It’s more than a club, it’s a brotherhood. A living legacy. It’s an unbroken, century-old ark that refuses to sink, ferrying generation after generation toward brighter horizons.
It continues to carry young men toward a better tomorrow, one try, one lesson, one life at a time.
