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32 South African surfers. One day. And incredible waves at one of the world’s finest beach breaks, New Pier in Durban. All of these ingredients combine to create a unique surf contest, the Cell C Goodwave surfing event, which is presented by South African Surfing Legends and sanctioned by the World Surf League as a spe-cialty event. The event is a different take on traditional surfing tournaments and is one of the most eagerly-awaited events on the SA surfing calendar.

The Cell C Goodwave contest is invite-only, and 32 South African surfers and 32 al-ternates have been invited to participate. They will compete against each other in four-man heats in a sudden death format until only one winner is left standing, to claim R100 000 in prize money. It’s an adrenaline-packed day that showcases high-performance surfing and celebrates the talent of these exceptional athletes and the surfers that have been invited to participate are an exciting mix of established SA names and new surfing talent.

To make the competition even more intense, the event is only held when organisers and weather experts have determined that conditions will be ideal for big swells. On-ly once the forecast looks promising is the event green-lit, and athletes are called a mere 48 hours in advance to notify them to gather for the big day. The waiting peri-od for the 2017 event opened on 1 February 2017 and the anticipation is building.

Barry Wolins, a legendary South African surfer, founded the event as a straightfor-ward, all-out contest that focuses on the surfers and is designed to challenge tech-nical ability, stamina and sheer determination. His passion for surfing began 44 years ago and through his association with South African Surfing Legends, he is helping to inspire, mentor and develop South African surfing talent for future genera-tions. SA Surfing Legends believes that the rich knowledge and dedication to the sport shared by SA surfing greats can be harnessed to help promote the sport and encourage young athletes to do SA proud. According to Gavin Varejes, South Afri-can Surfing Legends’ number one fan and Executive Advisor, “True legends don’t just perform athletically, they also give back and make a difference. SA Surfing Leg-ends keeps the SA flag flying proudly and promotes the local surf scene. The amaz-ing Cell C Goodwave event is one example of this and it is a competition of the high-est calibre.”

For more information on the event go to www.thegoodwave.co.za

tribute to jooste

Businessman Gavin Varejes, who heads the SA Rugby Legend Association, delivered a moving eulogy at the memorial service for South African legend Joost van der Westhuizen, who after a long battle, finally succumbed to motor neuron disease.

What does rugby mean to you?

Rugby isn't a sport, it's a brotherhood. It brings together different cultures, races and personalities with one common goal, to get a result after 80 minutes. For this, players sacrifice life and limb and in the process learn more about themselves and their darkest fears, like losing, facing a hostile crowd and disappointment in not only losing a tough game, but also letting your teammates and yourself down.

When and why did you set up the SA Rugby Legends?

The SA Rugby Legends Association was started in 2001 as an "old boys club" for provincial and professional players who still wanted to belong and give back to the game.

What did you hope to achieve with it?

The transition from professional rugby to life after rugby is brutal. If SARLA can make this process easier for ex-players and grow the base of rugby players at grassroots level, it is doing its job. We focus on rugby development and also the wellbeing of the ex-players after rugby.

Describe your relationship with Joost van der Westhuizen

Joost and I had a very open and honest relationship. He was the captain of the SA Rugby Legends and a hero in our country. He was also the tequila king! Off the field and after the party, we were helping transform his sporting skills to a business skill.

Joost was working at one of the companies in our group. In early 2011, I called him in and had concerns that he had been drinking because he was slurring his words and I noticed that his gait was unsteady. He was quite offended and assured me that he hadn't. I thought that he must've been partying too hard and it persisted. I think it really worried him as well.

And then, early in April 2011, he was told that he had 18 to 24 months to live. He was devastated and told me he had motor neuron disease and it was incurable. We cried together, he then got up and walked out. We never cried again together.

What and when was your first interaction with him?

The first time I met Joost, was a few years after the 1995 Rugby World Cup when I got the World Cup captains together, including David Kirk, Nick Farr Jones and Francois Pienaar in 1998. My initial motivation was to unite people and players through sport. Joost was one of the players who put his hand up to make a difference.

Describe Joost as a rugby player.

Joost was one of a kind and well ahead of his time. If you wanted to play against him, you had to play like him or you were lost. Eighty-nine test matches speaks for themselves and 38 tries, twice as many as the scrumhalf who scored the next highest number of tries, is an incredible feat.

Describe him as a rugby legend.

His never-say-die attitude could inspire not only a rugby team but a whole nation and gave many something to believe in the toughest of times, on and off the field.

Describe him as a friend.

Loyal, but also brutally honest at times and often turned this brutality on himself, facing and never cheating “the man in the mirror”. He lived and loved life to the max and had an infectious laugh. His glass was always full, half water, half air. You need both.

What did you learn from knowing Joost?

Never give up. In the darkest days and hours, Joost only wanted two things, to see his two incredible children and to make sure that J9 (his foundation) was doing what it could to help people with MND. He wanted to alert the world to the plight of these sufferers.

I learnt that even I don't know what a bad day is. Joost did. His body became his tomb. MND is in my opinion the worst disease in the world. The day you die, your brain is as alert as the day you get the disease.

I learned what real friendships, integrity, family and brotherhood meant. His family were absolutely epic. His brother Pieter put his life on hold and made the most selfless sacrifices for Joost. He became Joost's alter ego.

What can the Jewish world take from Joost?

Live every day as if it's your last, because one day you're going to be right. Don't sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff. Surround yourself with positive, wonderful people. I know that Joost did.

Original Article:
http://www.sajr.co.za/news-and-articles/2017/02/16/newsmaker-of-the-week

Gavin Varejes has once again been invited with the prestigious task of handing out the Springbok Jerseys to the team before their test match on Saturday 5th November at Wembley Stadium in London.

This is the second time that Gavin has handed out the jerseys to the National Team. He did this back in 2013 when Heyneke Meyer was coach as well as with the Springbok Blitzbokke in 2016, where he handed the jerseys out to the Sevens Team in Cape Town.

“Gavin is a very passionate Springbok supporter and we value his tremendous contribution to the team. He is not only a sports enthusiast and accomplished businessman, but also a great humanitarian. It was fitting that someone of his stature presented the Springboks with their match jerseys for the international against the Barbarians at Wembley.” said Rayaan Adriaanse, spokesperson for the Springboks

Bok Jersey Handover

Gavin Varejes, Executive Chairman of Richmark Holdings and President of South African Rugby Legends presents gifts to Eben Etzebeth and Francois Louw on reaching their 50th Test caps.

"We are so proud of these young players achieving this wonderful milestone in their careers. It shows how much passion and love they have for the game and making us South Africans a truly great rugby nation"
said Gavin Varejes.

The gents visited the offices of Richmark Holdings where Gavin hosted them to a lunch and an opportunity to see some of the amazing rugby memorabilia that he has been collecting for the past 20 years.

Gavin Varejes celebrates Boks 50th Test

Blue Label Telecoms on Monday announced it was partnering with SA Rugby for the Castle Lager Incoming series between the Boks and Ireland.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed telecommunications and technology company will partner the Boks for the three-Test series of matches in Cape Town (11 June), Johannesburg (18 June) and Port Elizabeth (25 June 2016).

Blue Label Telecoms’ name and branding will appear on the Springboks’ jersey for the series as well as in a number of on-and off-field areas.

“We are delighted to welcome Blue Label Telecoms to the rugby family,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby. “They are one of South Africa’s most innovative and visionary companies and the way they have embraced this opportunity is testimony to that.”

“These are tough financial times for South Africa and we at SA Rugby are having to be creative in how we approach our commercial partnerships,” said Roux. “Blue Label Telecoms’ partnership for a test series – rather than for a number of years – is a model that we are increasingly considering. It offers our partners good value while also allowing us to introduce new names into our family with a view to longer term relationships.

“This is an exciting period for Springbok rugby; Blue Label Telecoms identified that and we were able to quickly see eye-to-eye on a partnership for the Castle Lager Incoming Series. SA Rugby has a good story to tell and we’re delighted that Blue Label Telecoms is now a part of it.”

Brett Levy, Blue Label Telecoms’ Joint CEO, said: “We're a proudly South African company with a strong heritage of sponsoring cricket and soccer, so the opportunity to back the Bokke is very close to our hearts.

“Our rugby team is a national treasure, and we're delighted to be associated with the Bokke ‘gees’ during the team’s debut. It's fantastic to experience this period of reinvention and renewal.”

Mark Levy, Joint CEO at Blue Label Telecoms, added: “SA Rugby has a vision for the team, from coach through to captain and management - the stage is set to show the world the Bokke’s determination and prowess.

“We share their confidence in South Africa and their commitment to excellence – the Bokke are a perfect fit with the Blue Label Telecoms brand.”

Blue Label Telecoms partners with SA Rugby