DHL Stormers flank Junior Pokomela will come full circle when he makes an emotional return to Gqeberha with his team for their Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash against the Dragons on Saturday 3 December.
“It’s going to be very special. To go back with the team I grew up wanting to play for, and the champions of the inaugural Vodacom United Rugby Championship – it’s a special moment for me,” says Pokomela of a fixture that takes him back to the New Brighton township where he grew up and which is also the home of the iconic rugby club Springrose, to the friends and family that have been waiting for this moment, and to his own boyhood dreams in the game.
“The minute the fixture was announced my phone never stopped ringing as friends and family were asking me for tickets,” says Pokomela. “Everyone is just so excited about this game.”
The decision to not play this fixture in the traditional venue of Cape Town and rather take it to the equally passionate rugby community of the Eastern Cape is one Pokomela has applauded.
“There is massive excitement there. You know, people often speak about the Western Cape and the rugby culture there, which is incredible. But I can tell you the Eastern Cape is on the same level. I can guarantee that this game being played there means so much to the people of Gqeberha. The love they have for the game and how passionate they are about it is insane. They’re just really special rugby supporters.”
Pokomela knows first-hand just how passionate this part of South Africa’s rugby world is, and how it inspired his own dreams for the game.
“I’m from New Brighton which is where Springrose Rugy Football Club originated. The club rugby around there is massive. There is so much history with clubs like Springrose and African Bombers, and players such as Siya Kolisi, Mzwandile Stick, Solly Tyibilika and so many others that have come from here. And then you have passionate supporters like the late Easy Fana.
“Whenever I go back home and you go and watch a match between Springrose and African Bombers, it’s just crazy how many people turn up. Their love for the game and the time they give up for it is out of this world, and I’m sure they’re going to turn up in their numbers for this Vodacom United Rugby Championship match.
“It would’ve been massive for me to see something like this when I was growing up. I always dreamed of playing for the DHL Stormers. So it’s very special for me to be going back and hopefully to be able to inspire the kids there and show them that they can have the same dream.”
