Archive for month: September, 2022

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The Benefits of Attending a Rugby Institute in South Africa

You don’t need to be an expert in sports history to know that rugby holds a treasured position as a national pastime in South Africa.

Rugby in South Africa stretches back more than 150 years and has offered people of all backgrounds a chance to rise to the top of the elite sports world.

If you want to truly make the most of what the sport has to offer, a rugby high-performance programme can help you do exactly that. Read on to find out what attending an international rugby institute in South Africa can do for you.

A High-Performance Program Takes You Further

Many players are unaware of the benefits of attending a rugby institute. A high-performance rugby institute is so much more than after-school rugby training. It is a dedicated programme run by leading industry professionals and coaches that develops an athlete holistically. 

It is designed to mould you into a rugby player that can compete professionally in a rugby team on the world stage, through vigorous, cutting-edge training.

By enrolling in a top rugby institute, you can get serious about building a world-class athletic career, here or overseas. 

Get An International Rugby Institute Scholarship

It’s no secret that playing rugby can be a huge boon for your university application. Not only does it show that you are a team player, hard-working, and ambitious, but it can also open the doors to a valuable scholarship.

With the right training, you could stand out from the herd and show the best universities in the world that you have what it takes.

If you’re good enough, you can apply for and receive a full rugby scholarship at your dream university. The right international rugby institutes can help you get there.

 Spending a year at reputable rugby academies or institutes, can assist you to become a better rugby athlete by providing opportunities to senior rugby leagues and even Currie Cup competitions, whilst also offering you an opportunity to obtain Practical Education and Training qualifications in various fields of study. These additional competition achievements and a further qualification will most definitely set you apart.

See the World

Even if you don’t rise to the top of the professional leagues, your rugby skills can take you places you never thought possible.

As a competitive rugby player, you could end up touring the country, or other continents to play rugby in some of the most hallowed sporting venues on Earth.

By choosing rugby as your passion, you could play your beloved game in Sydney, Buenos Aires, London, Cardiff, Wellington or the United States. 

Form Valuable Connections

One of the most valuable aspects of attending a rugby institute is the connections and friends you make along the way. Rugby is often associated with success.

Many of your peers could end up excelling in a wide variety of fields.

Just think of all of the leading politicians, businesspeople, and celebrities who played rugby in their younger days. If you can see the value of lifelong connections like these, choose an international rugby institute today. 

Join the Best of SA Rugby Institutes Today

If your eyes are open to the benefits of a Rugby high-performance program, you have come to the right place.

At UXI Sport International Rugby Institute, we train some of the best and brightest Rugby players in South Africa.

The UXI Rugby Institutes offers specialized program packages for international players who would love an opportunity to learn from the rugby proud South Africans and explore iconic Table Mountain in Cape Town to the Kruger National Park. To find out more about what our international rugby institute can do for you, do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team today. We look forward to hearing from you.

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From UXi International Rugby Institute to Naka Bulls Rugby (IRI)

How to find your way into the prestigious Blue Bulls club league.

Many school boys  dream of pulling a Blue Bulls jersey over their heads one day!

Is this an impossible dream or is there a pathway no matter where you come from? 

The Blue Bulls top high schools are most certainly some of the strongest in South Africa and even school colleges in the world. South Africa is blessed with an abundance of top rugby schools hosting not only the greatest talent, but top quality coaching staff and systems that can compare to those at the top Rugby Unions in the country.

The recent international tours to South Africa from schools abroad and clubs, whether European or USA rugby teams, have been complimentary to the physical ability of players in South Africa at Under 19 and 20.  The recent success of the Junior Bokke in their overseas tournaments have also displayed the strength of the rugby quality in the top rugby schools in South Africa.

It is a fact that not every rugby player will get an opportunity to join a professional rugby side directly after school, but the good news is that there is HOPE if a player possesses the talent to develop and improve. For this a reputable higher performance program is required that focuses on the individual player development needs. A dedicated high performance program that also focuses on the strength and conditioning of the athlete for position specific requirements, all in an effort to get the player stronger, fitter and through skills development smarter in his position of play. 

A program that can assist a player to reach his or her full potential and make a significant difference in his game of rugby. Competing in a top South African rugby league such as the Western Province and Blue Bulls Pretoria is one of the best development opportunities a player can ask for when attending a high performance program. The club leagues are strong and can put the newly developed skills and techniques to the test. 

The one thing that many players don’t comprehend when asked about the benefits of a rugby academy or institute,  is that  in an academy or institute program players are coached to win, whereas,at the Club or Union they coach the team to win! Once you arrive at these training sessions you must already possess the competitive skills and techniques to obtain a position in the team. The focus is not on the player’s ability to improve whatever skills they lack, the focus is on the player’s unique skills and ability to contribute to the TEAM’s strategy to win a match or tournament.

Whether the player strive to get better to play international rugby in the United States or have an opportunity to be noticed by his favorite South African Franchise, rugby academies, reputable SA  rugby Institutes such as UXI RI or IRI (Naka Bulls), can through a national development program, and with hard work and dedication from the players, get  a player to his/her highest level of competition, and to play rugby of the highest standard. 

UXI International Rugby programs are designed to improve and develop both players and coaches. The Institutes allow for an easy transition from player development to coaches development as a career choice that opens the doors to many opportunities. 

UXI Sport will have a footprint in Blue Bulls rugby in the near future with its new planned Institute at Harlequins Rugby Club. An international brand that will also allow for exchange opportunities for our players nationally. 

More announcements to follow soon!

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Rugby and Travel

What you need to know 

So many rugby players in South Africa dream of receiving an international rugby opportunity in the hope to earn the foreign currency contracts that many A league rugby clubs offer in Europe, the United States (as USA rugby is developing fast) and even other areas of the world.

 This is mainly because of the South African rugby system’s post school inability to satisfy the quench for professional rugby pathways and competitions to many aspirant players who don’t receive bursaries, rugby scholarships, other sport scholarships or rugby union contracts. College rugby is non-existent and professional sporting development platforms too.

In the past two years many organizations have emerged that offer rugby opportunities abroad with the promise of placement and transfer of talented players into lucrative contracts, and/or promote themselves as a recruitment agency specialising in these opportunities. But the question is do they deliver on their promises, and what are the real life experiences of many players whose parents or sponsors paid the expensive price in an effort to afford their players the opportunity to play rugby on foreign soil?

Many players return with experiences that range from good to almost career destroying. Few parents and players are prepared for the fluctuating exchange rates and cost of living abroad, many hidden costs not disclosed, language and cultural barriers, and too often poor living conditions. Players and coaches can be rude and unwelcoming, expecting a lot more from players than what they are truly prepared for.  

Although there are players that have beaten the odds, the success rate of post school international placement is low. The club systems in Europe function entirely differently to the typical South African mainstream clubs, with strong youth development strategies, and strong junior academies with intense rugby development programs.

Our advice to players aspiring for an international playing opportunity, would be to prepare very well!

Not only from a rugby perspective, but also in strength and conditioning, mental and physical health, financially, know how to travel and survive abroad, request information to important services such as transport, medical, accommodation, daily nutrition, but also being prepared to communicate in the language of the country they are traveling to.

We recommend for a player athlete to register as a student athlete at rugby academies with a credible reputation for individual player development. The UXI Rugby Institutes have many success stories of individuals who registered as a player with the purpose to travel overseas in a better athletic form a few months later. The professional CV’s, that is developed through video and game analysis, continuous monitoring and evaluation, data analysis allows for the compilation of a portfolio that is credible. Add to this a Curry Cup cap or 4, play experience in a rugby club in an A league in South Africa,  a qualification in an occupation that has international standing, language lessons a life skills program that equips the player for life, and a WELL prepared player departs on an overseas journey with a higher success probability. 

UXI’s International Rugby institutes’ programs have benefited many overseas clubs and players alike. Every year a number of overseas players join the UXI Rugby Institute program to learn from one of the best rugby nations in the world https://uxisport.co.za/rugby-careers/ .The program also assists coaches with skills and qualifications, and with the demand internationally for coaches the player can also be employed as such at international clubs. 

UXI International Rugby Institutes will prepare you for;

  1. Rugby opportunities Europe,
  2. Rugby opportunities Germany,
  3. Rugby opportunities USA,
  4. Rugby opportunities UK.

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OVERCOMING THE POVERTY PANDEMIC IN SPORT

UXI INTERNATIONAL RUGBY INSTITUTES RESPOND

I recently read an article of a once brilliant rugby player who was fortunate to land a rugby contract immediately after school, but now lives in a tiny backyard room of his family’s humble home.

Then my journey started to research the success rate of post rugby career professionals in life after their careers and or contracts came to an end. The results were shocking to discover how many junior contracted players dropped out of rugby within the 1st 3 years of receiving them. The sad reality is that a very small percentage of these drop-outs had any other skill sets to provide employment for them after their opportunities in rugby ended.

Due to the covid-19 crisis, South Africa’s sports industry was one of the hardest hit and the long term effects will take years to recover.

However a poverty pandemic in sport was already present before covid played a role, when analyzing evidence based research of once contracted player athletes then to where they are in the present day, who is to blame?

Is it the Unions with an absence of player support programmes such as life-skills and player wellness in elite sport? Or does the career guidance and counseling offered in the classrooms and on field at school fail our youth? Maybe it is the parent’s who are also ignorant in understanding the realities and risks of professional rugby and contract at all cost attitudes, and that a 10 year or longer career with millions of rand contracts per annum is only a reality for less than 1% of all players.

No one ever thinks of lifelong medical costs and mental health. The temptation to soar high with lucrative junior contracts and invest in temporary luxury such as clothing, cars, jewelry and holidays often outweighs smart choices such as investing in skills acquisition, and saving for retirement and or investing wisely. The fact remains that it becomes a vicious circle that in many cases has a domino effect on more than one life or family.

The truth is that there is an increasing demand for qualified rugby coaches at all levels of junior and senior rugby in South Africa in every province,  as well as for video and game analysts and Rugby specific strength and conditioning coaches. Most top rugby schools are now running their rugby departments as professional units so this in itself is creating job opportunities everywhere. 

Love or hate the Springbok, South Africa is also known as one of the top ranking rugby nations in the world and most developing rugby countries want to learn from us. UXI Rugby Institutes have placed a number of players in international coaching roles, and with its new Coaching Career programs will offer aspirant young coaches the opportunity to learn from some of  the best coaches in the industry, whilst job shadowing, being mentored by them and receiving work placement to build up the required hours for World Rugby Level 2 Coach as well as a National Certificate in Coaching, whilst also earning a salary. 


Marketing and business knowledge in sport can create various opportunities in sport but also offers valuable knowledge in managing your own name as a brand in sport. All players in the high performance program are encouraged to study the IMM express programs that is short, impactful and packed with the fundamentals of branding and marketing of a brand.

In so doing UXI International Rugby Institutes are not just taking a player not afforded any opportunities in contract and bursary models elsewhere to real opportunities on-field but mostly creating in each individual a true champion for life!

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UXI Sport Introduces the “International School of Rugby Program”

“Inspiring and Igniting Greatness in YOUth, through sport!

UXI Sport and its Rugby Institutes are proud to announce its partnership with Alma Mater International School and ESCA Wanderers to formally launch the UXI Sport “International School of Rugby Program”, commencing in 2023. UXI Sport has partnered with these two renowned Schools to provide an elite structured sporting pathway for High School student-athletes. The objective of the “International School of Rugby” Program is to develop a love and appreciation of the game of rugby, through fun and exciting sporting activities. In turn, this will INSPIRE and IGNITE a passion for physical activity, wellness, strength and endurance by facilitating a process of understanding and development of every individual’s athletic ability.

This sporting program offers young, talented sportspeople a structured plan and pathway to balance their sporting and education programs. Alma Mater and ESCA Wanderers have partnered up with us, and together we are now able to offer student-athletes an outstanding international education with personalised full-time rugby training programs at High School level. This tailored program gives student-athletes the best possible opportunity to succeed as student-athlete at Universities, Academies, Institutes or International Colleges.

This Elite Sports Rugby program is a 5-year athletic development journey, starting from Grade 8, which progresses each individual player through various key physical and rugby-specific skill sets. The aim of this journey is to introduce young players to the game of rugby and continuously develop their skills towards a competitive level of play. Opportunities are then provided to players in their final year to enroll in the “Total Rugby Program”, at one of the UXI Rugby Institutes across South Africa. This program prepares a student-athlete for a Semi-Professional career in rugby and equips the athlete for a life in and after rugby, in the form of a tertiary academic qualification.

Get in touch with us: www.uxisport.co.za | [email protected] for more information!

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