“It has been a long road for me. I was a late bloomer and to achieve this is a wonderful honour,” said Boikanyo Nkolobe (34) who has just received the Elite World Rugby Level 3 accreditation, the pinnacle of rugby coaching qualifications.

Boikanyo Nkolobe (34)

Boikanyo is another Hartbeespoort resident who is on his way to international recognition.
Boikanyo, or Cheez as he is known to friends and family, was the well-loved teacher and rugby coach at Hartbeespoort High School, and player/coach at Hartbeespoort Rugby Club, for over 10 years before he moved to Pretoria in 2019 to become the Director of Rugby at St Alban’s College where he also teaches business studies.
“I only started playing rugby at Hartbeespoort High School in Grade 9. Cricket was actually my thing, but I thought I would try this. I was never a great rugby player. I am a big boy, so you fit in where you can. I played for the first team in Grades 11 and 12 and ended up with Hartbeespoort Rugby Club for another 10 years,” he laughed.
After leaving school, he studied for an education degree and returned to Hartbeespoort High School as a business studies teacher. “I love Harties. My people are there. It was difficult to leave Hartbeespoort, but I realised I had reached my ceiling there. If I wanted to play with the big boys, I had to leave. Things have moved very quickly since moving to Pretoria. I stopped playing in 2019 and concentrated on coaching. I was appointed as Director of Rugby at St Albans in 2022 and the Bulls nominated me as a candidate for World Rugby Level 3. And here we are…”
Boikanyo coached the Leopard junior team in Craven Week in 2018 and his next dream is to coach the senior players with the Blue Bulls during Craven Week. “Craven will give me the opportunity to coach SA schools rugby. And of course, if the Bulls phone me tomorrow… it would be a lifelong dream come true.”
“I am super blessed and grateful. I didn’t get where I now am without my friends and family in Hartbeespoort who helped me all the way. I had a wonderful coach in Hartbeespoort who saw something in me and my message to others is: Don’t be afraid to believe in people – possibility comes with belief in oneself. Even though I am a big boy, he taught me there was a place for me in rugby and I am so grateful.”
He believes teaching and coaching go hand-in-hand. “Look, I wanted to become an aeronautical engineer but did not have the money for the studies. One of my teachers told me I should teach. She was right. As a teacher, coaching became second nature.”
And his ultimate dream at the moment? “I dream of coaching the Green and Gold in 2031!”
With this accreditation, the world is beckoning, but for the moment his feet are planted in South Africa. “I want to earn my stripes in South Africa first and give back to the people who gave to much to me.”