YesPlay Backs SA Deaf Rugby For Tokyo 2026

South African rugby has always carried stories of courage, unity and national pride. Now, the South African Deaf Rugby National Team is preparing to write another unforgettable chapter as it heads to Tokyo for the 2026 World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championships.

YesPlay has joined that journey as SADRA’s official Tier 1 Partner and front-of-jersey sponsor. Importantly, this partnership represents far more than a logo on a rugby jersey. The YesPlay SA Sponsorship gives talented Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing rugby players greater support, stronger visibility and a platform to show the world exactly what they can achieve.

For South Africans, this is one of those proudly local stories that deserves to travel far beyond the rugby field.

A Proud South African Story

The South African Deaf Rugby Association (SADRA) formed in 2015 with a clear purpose: to create opportunities.

Since then, the organisation has developed a pathway that helps Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing boys, girls, men and women participate in rugby, improve their skills and work towards provincial and national selection. SADRA runs school development initiatives, supports provincial structures and provides athletes with the chance to represent South Africa internationally.

As SADRA explains: “We exist to create opportunity.”

That short statement captures the heart of the organisation. SADRA does not simply select a national team. Instead, it works to remove barriers and gives talented players a fair opportunity to chase their sporting dreams.

Furthermore, SADRA holds affiliations with SA Rugby and World Deaf Rugby. The organisation also operates as a registered non-profit organisation and public benefit organisation. In 2023, SA Rugby recognised SADRA as its Best Associate Member. A well-earned acknowledgement of its work both on and off the field.

YesPlay SA Deaf Rugby Sponsorship

YesPlay Steps Forward With Purpose and announced its partnership with SADRA in August 2026, becoming the national team’s Tier 1 Partner and official front-of-jersey sponsor.

The sponsorship will provide important backing as Team South Africa prepares for Tokyo. However, its potential impact extends well beyond the upcoming tournament. The partnership also supports a broader Sports Corporate Social Investment programme focused on developing Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing rugby throughout South Africa.

Through this initiative, SADRA and YesPlay aim to strengthen the pathway from community and regional rugby to provincial and national representation. In addition, the programme will promote hearing awareness, encourage the use of South African Sign Language and support hearing-screening initiatives.

YesPlay CEO Tebogo Makamo summed up the spirit of the partnership perfectly:

“The true power of sport lies in its ability to create opportunity, inspire hope and bring people together.”

Makamo also stressed that the sponsorship focuses on “investing in people” and “championing inclusion”. Those words matter because this partnership does not treat inclusion as a once-off campaign. Instead, it places inclusion at the centre of long-term sporting development.

Credit must therefore go to YesPlay for supporting a team that has earned its place on the international stage. The South African licensed betting operator has already built strong rugby connections through its Toyota Cheetahs partnership and its title sponsorship of the YesPlay Cup between the Springboks and Barbarians. They are also the new title sponsor for Newlands Cricket Grounds. However, its support of SA Deaf Rugby adds an especially meaningful dimension to that sporting story.

Team SA’s Road to World Deaf Rugby Sevens in Tokyo

The World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championships will take place in Tokyo, Japan, from 30 October to 4 November 2026.

Team South Africa plans to depart for Japan on 28 October 2026. The 16-member touring party will include 12 players and four management team members.

The South Africans will arrive with genuine international experience and plenty of belief. At their international debut in Argentina in 2023, they delivered an outstanding performance and finished fourth, narrowly missing a bronze medal.

Then, in 2024, South Africa hosted Africa’s first International Deaf Rugby Tournament. The national side claimed bronze in both the Sevens and Tens competitions. SADRA continued building momentum in 2025 when it became the first Deaf rugby team to compete at the Jozi 10s and Winelands 10s.

Therefore, Tokyo does not represent the beginning of this team’s story. It marks the next major step in a journey built through years of training, sacrifice and perseverance.

SA Deaf Rugby Team Announcement

The final SA Deaf Rugby team has been announced for the 2026 World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championships in Tokyo. These 12 players have earned the opportunity to wear the green and gold and represent South Africa on the international stage:

1. Riemerd Spreeith
2. Johan Liebenberg
3. Enrico Abrahams
4. Admar Claassen
5. Marnus Dercksen
6. Lucien Famer
7. Rodwin Beyers
8. Leon Willemans
9. Marchello Petro
10. Patrick Motothwa
11. Boitshepo Motlhala
12. Gregory Adelaar

Each player reaches this milestone after displaying tremendous commitment, determination and belief. Furthermore, their selection provides a proud moment for their families, coaches, provincial structures and the wider Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community.

The Team South Africa Deaf Rugby squad will now turn its attention to the final preparations for Tokyo. With the nation behind them and YesPlay supporting their journey, the players have an exciting opportunity to build on South Africa’s fourth-place finish at the 2023 tournament in Argentina.

The Team Behind the Tokyo Campaign

The four confirmed members of the Tokyo management group are:

• Roelof Kotze – Head Coach
• Pieter Terblanche – Strength and Conditioning Coach
• Khuliso Netshivhangani – Team Physiotherapist
• Lauren Terras – Team Manager

Kotze also serves as SADRA President, while Terras serves as the association’s Vice-President. Together, they have played significant roles in growing Deaf rugby and promoting its place within the wider South African sporting landscape.

Opening Doors Through Rugby

Good Things Guy deserves credit for highlighting how SADRA’s work reaches beyond international results. In its feature, Opening Doors Through Rugby: Team SA’s Deaf Rugby Journey, writer Karabo Peter focused on the opportunities the organisation creates from school level through to the national team.

The article described Tokyo as the result of “years of early mornings, training sessions, sacrifice and persistence”.

That description gives this campaign its human heartbeat. Behind every national jersey sits a player who kept training despite limited resources, reduced exposure and the financial challenges that often affect disability sport.

Furthermore, these players will compete for something bigger than a medal. Every time they take the field, they show young Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing South Africans that a pathway exists. They show that a hearing impairment does not reduce talent, ambition or the right to represent one’s country.

That is why this story feels so proudly South African. It combines determination, community and the belief that sport should create space for everyone.

Support Still Matters

YesPlay’s front-of-jersey sponsorship provides essential momentum for the Tokyo campaign. Nevertheless, SADRA remains largely self-funded and continues to seek sponsors to help cover the remaining costs.

Corporate partners, foundations and other organisations can still support the team. As SADRA’s campaign message puts it:

“Partner with purpose. Invest in inclusion.”

South Africans can also help by following SADRA, sharing the team’s story and celebrating its players. Every message of encouragement increases awareness and reminds the squad that the country stands behind them.

Interested organisations can visit the South African Deaf Rugby Association or contact its sponsorship team directly.

More Than a Jersey

The YesPlay SA Deaf Rugby sponsorship gives a deserving national team essential backing while creating greater awareness of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing sport. Meanwhile, SADRA deserves enormous credit for building a rugby pathway that stretches from school development to international competition.

Good Things Guy has also helped bring this inspiring journey to a wider audience, while the players, coaches, families and administrators continue doing the hard work behind the scenes.

When Team South Africa runs onto the field in Tokyo, the players will carry more than the Springbok emblem. They will carry the hopes of a growing Deaf rugby community and inspire a new generation of athletes back home.

Tokyo offers the team a chance to chase a medal. More importantly, however, it offers South Africa another chance to show what becomes possible when talent meets opportunity.

Tokyo awaits. Team South Africa has earned its place – and now it is time for the country to get behind them.

Sources and credit: YesPlay, South African Deaf Rugby Association and Karabo Peter’s original feature for Good Things Guy.