{"id":213505,"date":"2022-01-13T18:07:15","date_gmt":"2022-01-13T16:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=111880"},"modified":"2022-01-13T18:07:15","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T16:07:15","slug":"madibaz-coach-seeks-to-build-a-legacy-that-will-outlast-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/madibaz-coach-seeks-to-build-a-legacy-that-will-outlast-him\/","title":{"rendered":"Madibaz coach seeks to build a legacy that will outlast him"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New coach David Manuel will be at the helm when Madibaz compete in the Varsity Cup competition, starting on February 14. Photo: Full Stop Communications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New Madibaz rugby coach David Manuel\u2019s long-term aim is to create a sustainable legacy at the highest level.<\/p>\n

The former professional player, who turned out at fullback for the Blue Bulls, Griquas and Free State, assumed his position in November and has been focused on putting the building blocks in place for his plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately I\u2019m here with the mandate to rebuild the system and that needs time,\u201d said the 41-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Nelson Mandela University is a beautiful place, situated right next to the sea, and the objective is to build a legacy here that will outlast me and that will be a lighthouse for the next generation of student-athletes to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Madibaz were relegated from the Varsity Cup after the 2018 competition and competed in the lower tier Varsity Shield in 2019 and 2020. By ending on top of the combined Shield log from those two seasons, they were promoted to the Varsity Cup section last year.<\/p>\n

They failed to win any of their matches in the Cup competition in 2021, ending the season at the bottom of the log with five points.<\/p>\n

After a promising playing career was cut short by persistent injuries in 2004, Manuel turned to coaching, becoming part of the UP-Tuks programme and then working in various capacities with the Blue Bulls provincial teams from 2012 to 2020.<\/p>\n

According to him, he had gained plenty of experience at the Pretoria-based outfit and his move to Gqeberha was because of a desire to \u201cbuild something new\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is so much talent in the Eastern Cape and I would love to play some sort of role in developing it,\u201d said Manuel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been using this period to get to know and understand the Madibaz culture. A lot has happened over the years and I\u2019m assessing the situation to ensure that I make informed decisions moving forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to stabilise the squad and see how we can rebuild the team and the system for the next three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having worked with both successful and not so successful teams during his coaching career has given him an understanding of what it takes to make it to the top.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can package that to tailor-make it for the Madibaz system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manuel added it was important to have established principles to underpin one\u2019s coaching methods.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy philosophy covers three points \u2013 people need to feel safe on all levels, there must be a connection, and there must be a shared purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people feel safe, they will be able to become the best versions of themselves. That will lead to a better connection among peers and result in a shared purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that transfers onto the rugby field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manuel matriculated from Waterkloof in Pretoria in 1998 and immediately received a professional contract with the Blue Bulls as an 18-year-old.<\/p>\n

After playing in the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup for the Blue Bulls in 2001, he turned out for Griquas in 2002 and for Free State Cheetahs in 2003.<\/p>\n

\u201cI then had an injury and went back to Pretoria to play for UP-Tuks while studying sport science,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had one more attempt with the Blue Bulls in 2004 but another injury pushed me into early retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manuel started his coaching career with the Tuks Rugby Academy and became part of the Varsity Cup management team under former Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer in 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat team lost in the final against UCT but we won the Varsity Cup in 2012 and 2013.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since his arrival, he acknowledged, preparations had been challenging due to exams and Covid-19 regulations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard to get everyone together for an extended period, but we can only control the controllable and give it all that we can.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are doing everything possible to make sure we will be as competitive as we can be when the tournament starts in February.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Source: MyPR.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New coach David Manuel will be at the helm when Madibaz compete in the Varsity Cup competition, starting on February 14. Photo: Full Stop Communications New Madibaz rugby coach David Manuel\u2019s long-term aim is to create a sustainable legacy at the highest level. The former professional player, who turned out at fullback for the Blue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":213506,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9021,1],"tags":[3257],"class_list":{"0":"post-213505","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mypr","8":"category-south-africa","9":"tag-mypr","10":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/madibaz-coach-seeks-to-build-a-legacy-that-will-outlast-him.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}