The Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards
celebrates the best in the South African sport market, from 
Leading rugby development in the Western Cape, JAG Rugby is a rugby development programme committed to providing disadvantaged youth with the opportunity and resources to utilise the sport of rugby to excel both on and off the field. Instilling a culture of dignity, the programme goes far beyond sports development, assisting the children to live healthy, balanced lifestyles and encouraging them to excel in their school careers as well as developing strong interpersonal life skills. This program has also seen numerous players being awarded coveted scholarships from top schools in the Western Cape.
Situated in Bonteheuwel, Cape Town, the JAG Rugby programme utilises the sport of rugby, to educate kids on self discipline, perseverance, leadership and healthy competition. In its approach, JAG creates a safe and fun learning environment for its players with the expert guidance of dedicated and skilled coaches, mentors and role models. With life skills as one of the main components of the programme, participants are encouraged to make informed decisions both on and off the field, which in communities that suffer from drug abuse, violence, crime and low self-esteem, is of the utmost importance.
In Bonteheuwel alone there are 32 primary school rugby teams playing matches on a weekly basis.
Partnering with leading industry bodies such as Childline SA, JAG Rugby also aims to address socio-economic issues such as neglect, abuse and bullying. JAG Rugby’s anti-bulling campaign demonstrates non-contact rugby skills to help combat bullying as well as educating kids about the different forms of bullying and why children bully. The campaign is endorsed by Springbok loose forward Pierre Spies and in 2009 more than 4000 children benefited from the campaign.
Since its inception, the JAG Rugby community has produced some outstanding players, resulting in both boys and girls being awarded bursaries and scholarships to leading schools in Western Cape. These achievements inspire and encourage other kids to also strive to excel in their rugby and academic skills.
