3 years ago
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- Stormers flanker Junior Pokomela is salivating at the prospect of playing in Gqeberha this weekend.
- The Stormers have taken their home United Rugby Championship game against the Dragons on Saturday to the Eastern Cape.
- Pokomela was born and bred in the city before he moved elsewhere to spread his rugby wings.
The return of United Rugby Championship rugby to Gqeberha when the Stormers face the Dragons on Saturday is more than just a game for loose-forward Sipato Pokomela.
Better known as Junior, the Grey High School for Boys product played his formative rugby in the city before branching out to Bloemfontein and landing up in Cape Town.
What matters to Pokomela is the return of rugby, even if it's for a fleeting Saturday, to the city that played a massive role in what the URC is in its present form.
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It often gets lost in the current success of the tournament that the now-defunct Southern Kings and the Cheetahs carried the torch for South Africa before Super Rugby folded for South Africa.
For Pokomela, a return home is for the people of Gqeberha who have been starved of blue-chip rugby.
Being from New Brighton, he's from an area where rugby is had for breakfast, lunch, supper, and every other meal in between.
"In terms of rugby, it is massive, and my friends are already excited," Pokomela said.
"They don't play in that region when it comes to rugby, and I've given half of my tickets to my family, but it's really special to get an opportunity to play back home.
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"I'm from New Brighton where the famous Spring Rose club originates and the club scene there is massive, and so is the history of club rugby there.
"You just need to look at the calibre of players that come out of PE. There's Siya Kolisi, Mzwandile Stick and Tyibilika. It's crazy when you look at the players the area has produced.
"They often speak about how rich the rugby culture is in the Western Cape, but I think the same is applicable in PE.
"The game means so much for the people of PE and there are people who are still working hard to push the game."
Pokomela, who played for Grey PE's magnificent 2014 First Rugby team that beat Paul Roos and Grey College in the same season, said his heart always remained with the Stormers despite growing up in Eastern Province country.
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Pokomela said the history of Western Province and the Stormers always appealed to him, but hoped that their being in Gqeberha will inspire young rugby players to realise their dreams can and will work.
"I'm privileged and honoured that I play for the team that I supported when I was still a kid," Pokomela said.
"I loved the Kings, but I grew up supporting Western Province, along with the quality loose-forwards they have produced and the other greats they have produced.
"I hope the people come out in their numbers to support and I hope us playing in PE sends a positive message for the kids there who still hope to aspire in rugby."
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