TADHG FURLONG IS urging the young players from the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg to get stuck into Peter O’Mahony.
The Ireland captain is holding a tackle bag as the teenagers from one of the poorest areas in South Africa leather into him in a rucking drill.
“Do him!” demands Furlong, loving it all. “Do him!”
The young guns from the Queens and Alex clubs don’t need to be told twice as a group of Ireland forwards give words of encouragement.
Down the other end of the pitch, some of Ireland’s backs are doing handling drills and playing tip rugby with the young men from the nearby Alexandra.
The session is being run by the School of Hard Knocks, a non-profit group who use sport to help young South Africans improve their mental and emotional wellbeing. SOHK works closely with the Irish Embassy in South Africa, who have also been key in organising this event.
The Irish players are in their element. They’ve been cooped up in a luxury hotel in the neighbourhood of Sandton, one of the richest parts of South Africa and situated right beside Alexandra.
The Irish players have been warned not to stray from the hotel because of security concerns. It’s a dull existence, so getting out into the sun with enthusiastic young South Africans and having a bit of fun is an ideal antidote. More importantly, it’s part of such a worthy cause.
It’s obvious what it means to the young players from Alexandra. There aren’t many people who can make Peter O’Mahony so happy by driving a shoulder into him.
“We speak about it in Ireland, we’re always trying to inspire young kids and inspire the nation,” says Ireland hooker Rob Herring, a native of South Africa.
“The Springboks would probably be their idols and for us to come down, even if we can inspire a few kids to try take rugby seriously, and all the work the foundation is doing around mental health and gender-based violence. If we can be a positive role model in any way, then why not come down to try it out.”
Before the Ireland players arrive, one of the School of Hard Knocks coaches, Urshwin Engel, leads the warm-up. Engel grew up in a Cape Town community that was affected by gang violence but now does important work with young South Africans.
He leads a warm-up chant: “I know I can be what I wanna be. If I work hard at it, I’ll be where I want to be.”
This session is part of a programme called NXTGENMEN that focuses on young men’s mental health and gender-based violence, which is a major problem in South Africa.
So after they have the fun training, SOHK lead young men in specific mental health sessions addressing such issues.
The Ireland players obviously aren’t involved in that on their visit to train with the lads from Alexandra, but they’re just happy to help out.
“We’re only here for a short period but to see smiles on people’s faces and if we can share a story or two with the kids here to make a change in their life, it’s such a positive thing to do,” says Herring.
“It’s a real privilege to be able to do that.”
