Professional rugby contract in Poland.

From a South African Rugby Institute, to the Professionals Teams Abroad!

From the diamond-mining centre of South Africa, to the Polish city on the coast: Gdynia! UXI Griquas Rugby Institute backline player, Devon Pretorius, has recently been contracted to play professional rugby in the beautiful country of Poland! 

Devon, who enrolled himself in the UXI high performance rugby programme, has proven once again that rugby academies and institutes are phenomenal gateway into professional sport. 

Arka Gdynia is a Polish rugby union, who is renowned for their fantastic success within the Ekstraliga – the Super Rugby equivalent for rugby union in Poland. Rugby Club Arka Gdynia has won this rugby championship in 2004, 2005, 2011, and 2015. Hopefully with Devon in their backline, they will be adding several more titles to their name. Devon is flying the SA Rugby flag high, by already making his rugby debut for this international rugby team.  

Lending to the development of World Cup players, such as Willie le Roux, the Griquas Rugby Union identified the need to accelerate the empowerment of the youth in sport. UXI Sport took hands with the Rugby Union to establish the much-needed Griquas Rugby Institute, which assists in providing a national pathway for rugby’s youth in South Africa, specifically catering for the developmental gap from 18 until 24 years old. 

Situated in the historic town of Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province, the Institute is housed in the beloved Tafel Lager Park. At the Institute, rugby players are exposed to the same level of high-performance training and development as a player who is contracted by a pro rugby Union. 

By exposing young and talented rugby players to these high athletic standards, professional sporting skills, values and disciplines are well established within the first two years at the Institute. The self-funded UXI Rugby Institute models truly hold a pivotal place in the sustainability and longevity of South Africa rugby; and it is this Institute model that has prepared Devon for this fantastic moment in his rugby career.

The UXI Rugby Institutes can be found across South Africa! From the Western Province Rugby Academy in Cape Town, to the Pumas Rugby Institute in Mpumalanga, to the Cheetahs Institute of Excellence in Bloemfontein. The opportunities to achieve your rugby dreams have never been greater!

This incredible achievement of Devon’s offers INSPIRATION and ignites HOPE and opportunities to many young aspiring rugby boys, who too want a spot in a professional rugby league or national team. Success stories like these are testaments to the power that the youth have to achieve their dreams – but you cannot sit around and wait for opportunities to come knocking. YOU must create them for yourself, just as Devon took the initiative to create his. We wish Devon all the best with his career at Rugby Club Arka Gdynia!