At 2,01 metres tall, Sanlam Boland Kavaliers lock Jeandre Leonard is looking to raise the roof when it comes to his new team’s aspirations for the 2026 rugby season.
Leonard has joined the Kavas family after three successful seasons at the Airlink Pumas, where he helped the Mbombela side win the 2022 Carling Black Label Currie Cup Premier Division and 2025 SA Cup competition.
However, Leonard, who also represented the Suzuki Griquas before moving to the Airlink Pumas, says after three years in Mbombela, he has been eyeing a new challenge.
And his move was made easier when his wife received the welcome news of a new job in the Western Cape.
Also seeing how the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers have been progressing under coach Hawies Fourie for the past two seasons, had also piqued the towering lock’s interest in coming to help the Western Cape team reach new heights.
“This move to the Western Cape with my family and still getting to play professional rugby is an opportunity for us to experience a different side of life,” Leonard says.
“After three years in Mbombela, I also started to feel as if my game was not growing and I needed to take up a new challenge.
“Hearing of the plans that coach Hawies has for the team, I wanted to become part of that conversation.
“I still have high aspirations as a player and would like to see this team win the Currie Cup [Premier Division] and then also in future get to possibly play in the United Rugby Championship [URC].”
Leonard is no stranger to taking the long road to reaching his rugby goals.
In high school at Garsfontein, the second rower did not play regular first-team rugby.
That did not stop him from making a name for himself at the FNB Varsity Cup level with the North West University, before joining the Suzuki Griquas in Kimberley to gain more experience as a lock.
Leonards is, however, under no illusions that he faces some stiff competition at lock with the Kavas bolstering their depth in this department.
“I know that I can’t just expect to walk into this team; I will have to do the hard yards. I am really enjoying that challenge, especially during our pre-season and the work that conditioning coach Iver [Aanhuizen] has done with us.”
They say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but for recently recruited Sanlam Boland Kavaliers outside back Jade Stighling, there is an exception to this rule.
Stighling has been in pre-season camp with his new Kavaliers teammates and says he feels like he is learning more about the game from young wingers Xavier Mitchell and Jaden Bantom.
The 32-year-old Stighling joins Boland after a two-year stint playing club rugby in the United States of America for Major League Rugby outfit the Seattle Seawolves.
He joined the Seawolves in November 2023 after making the move from the Airlink Pumas, whom he joined during the 2021 season after growing up and playing most of his rugby as a junior and senior for the Vodacom Bulls in the Carling Currie Cup as well as Super Rugby.
Stighling says he decided to join the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers to be closer to family, but more importantly, help his new team reach new heights, following Boland’s qualification for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division and also reaching the semifinals of the 2025 edition.
With a Bachelor of Science in Informatics from the University of South Africa (UNISA), Stighling is also looking to put his skills in this area to work, especially seeing how Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a norm in the workplace during his two-year stint in the US.
“With South Africa still being a developing nation when it comes to using AI, it was interesting to see how things are done in America. I would like to use what I have learned over there and put it to use here locally,” Stighling says.
Meanwhile, when it comes to his current career, the former Puma is also taking a lot of learnings on board, especially from his fellow outside backs, who he says are keeping him on his toes.
“Jayden Bantom and Xavier Mitchell are very good athletes and are keeping me on my toes constantly,” he professed.
“I pride myself on being a great athlete, but seeing what a guy like Xavier can do on a rugby field astounds me and makes me feel as if I am learning something new. Sometimes it feels as if these younger guys are teaching me things about the game.”
Stighling has, however, never been a stranger to working hard when it comes to his rugby career, and can be considered a late bloomer when it comes to rugby.
“I wanted to be a soccer player,” he reveals. “As a kid in primary school, I really wanted to pursue a career in football.
“I was a big athletics guy, and a coach at Hans Moore High School in Benoni saw that I was quite quick and basically tricked me into playing rugby.
“I remember he offered me a pair of boots just to come for a trial with the team. I thought I would do the trial and then use those boots to go and play soccer. But, after that first game, my mind was changed, and I ended up sticking to rugby.”
Moving to Wellington has also felt like a reunion to Stighling, with so many of the former Bulls and Pumas players part of the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers’ team.
“Seeing coach Pote [Human] as well as Mossie [Juan Mostert] among others, here and Chris Smit in the short time that I have been here, has been so surreal.
“I feel like the culture and energy that coach Hawies [Fourie] and coach Pote are developing is exciting, and it has made me slot into the environment with ease, especially with me knowing most of the players, that I have played with before at the Bulls as well as the Pumas.”
Newly recruited number eight at the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, Kwanda Dimaza, says he feels right at home since joining the Wellington rugby team in November last year.
Dimaza spent five seasons at the Airlink Pumas before deciding to leave Mbombela for the picturesque Cape Winelands and mountainous terrain of the Western Cape.
The loose forward, who grew up in the Ginsberg township in Qonce (formerly known as King Williams’s Town) in the Eastern Cape, previously represented the Hollywoodbets Sharks after completing high school at Dale College.
Where he says he spent close to five years, working himself up through the ranks as a junior player and even made the 2019 Sharks Super Rugby squad, before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out a year later.
Game time at the Sharks, however, was very limited, with Dimaza deciding to move to Mpumalanga and play for the Pumas in 2020. He can call himself a Carling Black Label Currie Cup champion after helping the team win the 2022 title.
Dimaza has, however, been seeking a new challenge, and after watching the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers perform remarkably well last season and reach the Currie Cup semifinals, he knew he had to become part of a team making waves in South African rugby.
“Just watching some of their games last season and their style of play attracted me,” Dimaza says. “It is the way that I like to play the game. The running rugby and offloads are some of the things that caught my eye.
WELLINGTON. Kwanda Dimaza during the 2026 pre-season. Photo by Ernest Kilowan/Boland Rugby MediaWELLINGTON. Kwanda Dimaza during the 2026 pre-season. Photo by Ernest Kilowan/Boland Rugby Media
“Overall, I think it is just the whole chemistry of the team, the cohesion that they have and their willingness to fight and play for coach Hawies (Fourie).”
One thing that did surprise Dimaza, though, since moving to Wellington, is the extreme heat in his new hometown. With temperatures typically around 31 degrees, during Bergwind conditions, they can reach 35 degrees.
That, however, does not stop Kavas’ strength and conditioning coach, Iver Aanhuizen, from putting him and the rest of the squad through their paces.
“The first two months when I came here, I noticed it can get extremely hot in Wellington. Nelspruit was hot and humid, but here it is on another level.
“Training has been hard in this weather, but it is getting better, even though Coach Iver sometimes shows no mercy.
“I enjoy it though, especially with a strength and condition coach that is willing to push you to reach new heights. At the end of the day, you get rewards out of it, and we could see that last year with the team reaching the Currie Cup’s semifinals.”
Besides working hard for Sanlam Boland Kavaliers’ upcoming SA Cup campaign, Dimaza has also gotten to know his new surroundings.
“Since I arrived here in November, I have gotten to do some sightseeing around the Western Cape,” he explains. “My new teammates here have been very accommodating by offering to show me around.
“We have even gone to watch some of the SA20 cricket games here in Paarl. It has been a good experience, and there really is a lot to do here.”
Vying for a regular spot in the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers matchday squad, Dimaza says that competing with the likes of Kwhezi Mafu, Thurlow Marsh, and Sbu Sangweni, among others: “It is a good battle at loose forward. We push each other in training, and I think that is what you want if you want to be a successful team.
“For me so far it has been good, and at the end of the day we want to make it difficult for coach Hawies to select who gets to play and who does not.”
When you walk into Boland Park in Worcester and hear the rumble of the scrum, there’s one name that always echoes above the rest – Anele Zingitwa. To the supporters, he’s “The Iron of High Noon.” To his people, he’s “Intsimbi yase High Noon” – the man of steel who never backs down.
With broad shoulders, a determined gaze, and a heart as big as his tackle power, Zingitwa needs little introduction in rugby circles. He’s a player who quite literally carries his team on his back – both in spirit and in strength.
From the farm to the field
Born and raised on the High Noon farm near Villiersdorp, Anele first held a rugby ball on dusty ground; no fancy coaching, no privilege, just pure passion and a dream. His natural ability and fierce commitment quickly shone through, and by his matric year in 2008 at Villiersdorp Secondary, he was already the team captain and a standout leader.
From there, his rugby journey took him through Helderstroom and Elandskloof, and later into the South African Defence Force, where in 2012 he was named Captain of the Gauteng Defence Force and selected for the President’s Team. Those were the years that not only shaped his body but also helped form his character, teaching him the values of discipline, resilience, and loyalty.
Wearing the number 1 jersey as a loosehead prop, Zingitwa is a man who has immense physical strength, but his accurate weapon lies in his spirit. He plays with fire, intensity, and passion, the kind of player who never surrenders. Many an opponent has felt his force in the scrum, yet his teammates know him as a gentle giant.
When his mentor and beloved coach, Aldridge Mercuur, passed away, Zingitwa’s humanity shone through.
“Coach Mercuur believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” he said. “He gave me confidence, and I’ll honour his memory forever.”
Villa – Where he found a home
After several successful seasons at Caledon Rugby Club, where he claimed both Forward of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year in 2016, Anele joined Villa Rugby Club in 2022.
When he arrived, Villa was in the process of rebuilding. But from day one, Zingitwa’s presence made an impact. His work ethic, discipline, and infectious energy reignited the team’s belief.
“At Villa, I feel at home,” he says. “The people welcome you like family. That’s why we give everything on the field — it’s for them, for our community, for that sense of pride.”
In 2024, his dedication was rewarded. He was crowned Villa’s Forward of the Year and selected for the Boland Coach’s Invitational Team — solidifying his reputation as one of the finest front-rowers in the region.
His rugby résumé tells a story of relentless hard work:
2007 – Helderstroom B-Team Forward of the Year
2012 – Gauteng Defence Force Captain & President’s Team
2016 – Caledon RFC Forward of the Year & Players’ Player of the Year
2023 – Western Cape Correctional Services Captain
2024 – Villa RFC Forward of the Year & Boland Invitational Team
Today, Anele remains an integral part of the Villagers Worcester Rugby Football Club family, not only as a player but as a role model and mentor to younger athletes. He proves daily that trophies don’t measure true greatness, but by the impact you leave on those around you.
As jy al ooit ’n bietjie uitlyn geraak het op Villagers Worcester se Facebook-blad, weet jy presies wie Stephan “Faan” Neethling is. Die man wat nie ’n rugbybal hoef aan te vat om respek af te dwing nie – want sy woorde byt skerper as enige skrum.
“Ek het nooit rugby gespeel nie,” sê Faan met daardie bekende glimlag van hom. “Maar moenie dat iemand dink ek het nie my deel van stof en sweet gekry nie. Ons het as laaities in die sandputte van Hexpark gespeel vir trofeë – pakkies gebreekte biscuits en Coke!” Hy lag lekker: “Die jongspan sal nie glo nie, maar destyds kon jy regtig pakkies gebreekte biscuits koop. Die grootmense sal weet.”
Faan se rugbyliefde het in die laat 80’s posgevat toe hy saam met sy destydse kollega, die legendariese Johannes ‘Dassie’ Jacobs, die wedstryde van Worcester Perseverance begin bywoon het. “Dassie was ’n held. Ek het maar saamgegaan en voor ek my kon kry, was rugby deel van my bloed.”
Sy pad na Villagers het egter eers jare later begin – in 2014, en in 2015 het hy aangesluit by die Ondersteunersklub. “Brian Richards, wat toe die voorsitter was, het gesê ek moet die media help bestuur,” vertel Faan. “Ek het toe begin foto’s neem met my selfoon. Ai, die mense het my uitgelag! Hulle sê toe: ‘Kyk daai man – hy dink hy’s ’n fotograaf met ’n foon!’” Hy grinnik breed. “Maar wat hulle nie geweet het nie, is ek het die beste selfoon op die mark gehad – met ’n beter kamera as wat hulle ooit in hul sakke gehad het!”
Daardie sogenaamde “foonfoto’s” het vinnig opslae gemaak. Faan se oog vir die regte oomblik – die glimlag van ’n ondersteuner, die sweetdruppel op ’n speler se voorkop – het Villagers se gees begin vasvang op maniere wat min kon doen.
Wat begin het as ’n eenvoudige blad vir ondersteuners, het onder Faan se bestuur gegroei tot een van die grootste nie-amateur rugbyblad in Suid-Afrika. “Ons blad het groter geword as wat enigiemand verwag het,” sê hy trots. “En dit bly skoon – want by ons is daar reëls.”
Nou ja, en dit bring ons by sy bynaam.
“Party sê ek’s streng, maar ek sê net ek’s regverdig,” vertel Faan met ’n vonkel in sy oog. “As jy op ons blad kom om te kla, te vloek of mense aan te vat – dan sal jy gou voel hoe byt die Swart Mamba.”
Die bynaam het natuurlik gegroei uit sy onwrikbare dissipline op sosiale media. “Ek’s self donker kleurig,” sê hy skalks, “en die swart mamba is een van die vinnigste en giftigste slange in die wêreld. So ja – as jy onsmaaklik raak, ek pik jou sommer gou, en jy’s uit. Daar is geen teenmiddel nie!”
Onder sy bestuur is daar geen plek vir drama of venyn nie. “Ek sê altyd vir die mense: jy’s welkom om hier te praat, maar hou dit net respekvol. Dis rugby, nie ’n oorlog nie.”
Die gogga vir fotografie het hom behoorlik gebyt. Faan het sy eie fotostudio begin en homself opgelei as ’n professionele fotograaf. Vandag word sy werk wyd bewonder – van wedstryde tot troues.
“Ek het agtergekom dis nie net oor foto’s neem nie,” verduidelik hy. “Dis oor stories vertel. Elke foto sê vir my iets oor mense – oor gees, oor trots. Dis hoekom ek hou van rugby – dit’s lewende stories.”
Met trots in sy stem sê hy: “Ek het baie klubs gesien, maar Villa was my eerste liefde. En glo my, dit sal my laaste wees.” Faan het intussen twee termyne op die klub se bestuur agter die blad en was ook voorsitter van die ondersteunersklub. “Ek sê altyd, ek’s nie perfek nie, maar ek’s lojaal. En by Villa, dis wat tel.”
In ’n tyd waar sosiale media dikwels ’n giftige plek kan wees, is dit dalk juis gepas dat Villagers Worcester hul eie Swart Mamba het – nie om te vernietig nie, maar om te beskerm. Of soos Faan dit stel: “Ek’s nie hier om mense bang te maak nie. Ek’s hier om te sorg dat die blad iets is waarop ons trots kan wees. En as ek moet byt om dit reg te hou – wel, dan byt ek mos met styl!”
Stephan “Faan” Neethling, beter bekend as die Swart Mamba van Villagers Worcester, bestuur die klub se media met ’n ferm hand en skerp humorsin. Sy foto’s en woorde hou die Villa-gees lewendig.
Van ’n jong seun uit Roodewal tot die voorsitter van een van die oudste rugbyklubs in die land – John “Veggie” Vergotini se storie is een van deursettingsvermoë, trots en onwrikbare liefde vir die spel van rugby.
Gebore en getoë in Worcester se arm woonbuurt, het Vergotini sy pad van ‘n eenvoudige komvandaan na rugbyroem gebaan. Reeds op skool het sy talent duidelik geword. Hy het in 1989 en 1990 as hoërskool leerder sy Boland-klere verwerf. Sy hoogtepunt as jong speler het in 1990 gekom toe hy as Suid-Afrikaanse Skolekapteinaangewys is.
“In my speeldae het ek saam met manne soos Allistair Coetzee, Deon Davidsen selfs[Francois]Kaballie Davids gespeel,” seg Vergontini met trots. “Dis ’n voorreg om te sê ek het saam met sulke groot name op die veld gestaan.”
Hy het in 1989 by Villagers Worcester Rugbyvoetbal klub (RVK) aangesluit – toe nog onder die SARU-bedeling – en homself gevestig as een van die klub se mees dinamiese vleuels. “Ons het onder moeilike omstandighede gespeel, maar ons het sterk gestaan dat daar geen normale sport in ’n abnormale gemeenskap kan bestaan nie, beaam hy met heinwee.
Sy naam is steeds deel van Boland-rugbygeskiedenis: in 1990 het hy sewe drieë in een provinsiale wedstryd gedruk, teen WP Raad op Franschhoek; ’n rekord wat tot vandag toe staan.
’n Staaltjie uit daardie tyd onthou hy met ’n glimlag: “Tydens my eerste wedstryd vir Villagers in Mosselbaai het die voorsitter, mnr. Gert Swanepoel, na elke drie vir my agter die pale gewag, in sy winterjas, en gesê: ‘Dis die begin van baie drieë, seun!’ En hy was reg.”
Na sy speeldae het Vergotini besluit om sy betrokkenheid by die klub voort te sit. Hy het op die bestuur begin dien en later as voorsitter die leisels oorgeneem. “Ek was bevoorreg om saam met groot name soos Aunt Leggy, Onnie Titus en Andrew Cuttings te werk – mense wat my gevorm het as leier.”
Een van sy trotse oomblikke as voorsitter was op 10 November 2018, toe Villagers Worcester die span van Wellington, Roses United RVK in die finale geklop en as kampioene gekroon is.
“Daardie dag sal ek nooit vergeet nie. Dis die soort oomblik waarvoor jy jare werk.”
Tog was daar nie net hoogtepunte nie. “Drie jaar gelede, toe ek weer as voorsitter verkies is, het27 eerste span spelers die klub verlaat. Dit was ’n harde tyd, maar ons het saamgewerk en die klub weer opgebou. Vandag leef Villagers weer.”
Die dood van die klub se direkteur van afrigting en hoofafrigter, mnr. Alridge Mercuur, het ook ’n groot leemte gelaat. “Hy was soos ’n pa vir die spelers en ’n mentor vir my. Sy afsterwe was ’n swaar slag, maar ons eer sy nalatenskap deur voort te bou op sy visie.”
Met meer as 20 jaar se diens aan Villagers Worcester agter sy naam, is Veggie steeds ’n bekende gesig by die klub – en steeds vol humor. “Ja, ek was goed gebou, sonder vet, net spoed,” lag hy. “Nou vra die jong spelers: ‘Oom Veggie, het Oom rêrig vleuel en senter gespeel?’ Dan wys ek vir hulle die foto’s – die bewyse is daar!”
Sy bynaam “Veggie” beskryf hom perfek. “Mense sê dis omdat ek altyd veg. Ek gee nie maklik op nie, maak nie saak wat die uitdaging is nie. Dis deel van wie ek is.”
Aan die einde van die dag bly sy boodskap eenvoudig: “Rugby is meer as net ’n spel. Ná jou speeldae moet jy betrokke bly – as afrigter, bestuurder of mentor. Ons jong spelers het rolmodelle nodig.” “Villagers Worcester was nog altyd my tuiste. En soos oom Gert destyds gesê het – dis net die begin van baie drieë.”
