Durban High School’s Aka Boqwana said he felt blessed after being selected on his birthday. Boqwana, who can play fullback or flyhalf, was selected for the Sharks U18A Craven Week side.
The announcement was made recently and the KwaZulu-Natal Schools capping ceremony took place on May 28 at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.
He said: “When the team came out, I was quite happy as it was my birthday. It felt like a gift from God and it was a dream come true and a true testament that hard work pays off.”
Boqwana said this wasn’t the first time he had been selected provincially as he had previously represented the U16 Grant Khomo team in 2022, the U17 Sharks Academy team last year and the U17 Seven’s Sharks team the same year.
Boqwana was selected alongside eight fellow DHS teammates. He said it felt great knowing that the school had the most representatives for Craven Week because it showed that when you worked together as a team you could achieve great things far beyond your measure. He said working together opened doors of opportunity for other people.
Ahead of the school’s 158th birthday, Founders Day, which took place last weekend, he said it gave him great motivation knowing that if they played well as a team, they would play well against Michaelhouse.
“For many of us, it’s our last Founders and that gave me further motivation to do it for the school that took me from nothing and granted me opportunities that I would have never imagined.”
Boqwana delivered with 13 points (try, conversion, two penalties) as DHS first XV beat Michaelhouse 23-10 on their Founders Day.
“My favourite player is Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and that is because of the way he carries himself on and off the field and also because he can read the game well, and that is something I strive to do because of the position I play. Lastly, what stands out for me in Feinberg-Mngomezulu is his hard work, dedication and self-discipline.”
Outside rugby, Boqwana loves playing Playstation and soccer. He also enjoys watching soccer and supports Manchester City. The player he looks up to is Cristiano Ronaldo.
His favourite food is African salad.
“My philosophy is quite plain and simple. I put everything in prayer and God and I let him lead the way,” he concluded.
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Daily News