Category: General, Sport, Community
As part of the ongoing relationship between the Swaziland-based charity SKRUM, Wilson Dlamini has joined the College for the Michaelmas Term on a Rugby Coach Development Placement. Wilson played against the Marlborough College touring side in Swaziland in July 2010 after which Mike Collinson, CEO of SKRUM, and Charlie Harrison, our Director of Rugby, began to discuss the possibility of a coaching placement at Marlborough for Wilson.
Wilson works for SKRUM as a development coach helping to educate people of all ages in schools and communities about HIV & Aids through the playing of rugby. SKRUM aims to give the youth of Swaziland and, more recently, South Africa hope for the future with a freedom of choice through their social education and the benefit of playing the wonderful sport of Rugby. SKRUM's main mission is to instil the maxim, 'Pass the ball not the virus'.
Whilst here he will be working as an assistant to Mr Beckett, the Sports Hall Manager, and working closely with Mr Harrison. Wilson arrived at Marlborough on Saturday 17th September and 24 hours later found himself playing full back for the staff rugby team against the Old Boys in apocalyptic rain. He is currently the coach for the Junior Colts 4th team, leading them to a successful last match vs. St Edward's with a convincing 58-0 win. Wilson has already started introducing new rugby moves into practice and games. Players have developed new methods of celebrating Swazi-style and the line out and back line strategies are reputed to be called in SiSwati, striking fear into the opposition!
Wilson has also started training intensively for his return to Swaziland in December. He's already beginning to plan Swaziland's success in the next round of World Cup qualifiers. That ambition to succeed is clear as he can often be spotted in the gym, the weights room, the swimming pool and carbo-loading in Norwood Hall.
Wilson plays full back for the Malkerns Vondo's (named after the bushrats which live in the sugar cane) and was also captain of the U19 Swaziland Team. As part of Marlborough's link with SKRUM, a set of rugby shirts was given to the Vondo's in July 2010. The shirt was originally designed for Marlborough's whole school charity day in January 2010 and included logos for Theo's Fund and Tom's Trust, two charities (set up in the memory of OMs, Theo Dreyfus and Tom Rhys Pryce) which were supported on the day. Touchingly, Wilson reports that the Vondo's have created two moves called 'The Theo' and 'The Tom' which are designed to confuse the opponents and usually result in a try.
Wilson, when interviewed, said: 'This has been a great opportunity here at Marlborough and I've already begun to make many new friends. I love being a tutor in Summerfield and am working hard to ensure that the JC4s finish the season undefeated from now on'. He has a message for all those Siswati speakers out there:
'Chubekani nijime kakhulu maja, kute sitawukwati kuchubeka siyembili'.
['Keep on training because there's still a long way to go']
Rob Gibson (C2 U6)