Deaf Rugby Players Finally Get Corporate Backing to Chase World Championship Dream

JOHANNESBURG - Lauren Terras spent months not knowing whether her team would make it to Tokyo. As Vice President of the South African Deaf Rugby Association (SADRA), she watched the funding gap persist, the deadline creep closer, and the prospect of a second World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championship appearance grow uncertain. “It has been one massive drive to get to this point,” she said. “There were moments when we were genuinely concerned that we simply wouldn’t secure the funding needed to take our team to our second World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championship.”

That uncertainty is now resolved. YesPlay, a South African sports betting and entertainment platform, has committed as the Official Tier 1 Partner and front-of-jersey sponsor for the national Deaf Rugby team, providing the financial foundation the squad had been urgently seeking ahead of the 2026 tournament in Tokyo.

For Terras, the relief is personal. The backing arrived at a critical juncture, and she was clear about what it means beyond the balance sheet. “Now we want to make magic, both on and off the field. We want to make South Africans proud, continue putting SA Deaf Rugby firmly on the map and, this time, come home with that much-awaited medal.”

The 16-person touring party departs for Tokyo on October 28, 2026, for a tournament running from October 31 through November 3. Twelve players travel alongside four management staff: Head Coach Roelof Kotze, Strength and Conditioning Coach Pieter Terblance, Team Physiotherapist Khuliso Netshivhangani, and Team Manager Lauren Terras herself. The trip builds on the team’s fourth-place finish at their international debut in Argentina in 2023, when they narrowly missed the bronze medal. That performance earned the squad their official national colours and established them as a credible force on the global stage.

Meanwhile, YesPlay’s involvement reaches well beyond funding a plane ticket. The partnership launches the company’s comprehensive Sports Corporate Social Investment legacy programme, a nationwide rugby development pathway designed to identify and nurture Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing talent from community and regional levels through to provincial and national representation. The initiative will also champion hearing awareness, promote South African Sign Language, and support hearing screening programmes across the sport.

Tebogo Makamo, Chief Executive Officer of YesPlay, framed the commitment in direct terms. “At YesPlay, we believe that the true power of sport lies in its ability to create opportunity, inspire hope and bring people together,” he said. “This is about far more than helping a team get to the World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championships. It’s about investing in people, championing inclusion, and helping to build a future where talent, commitment and character, not circumstance, determine what’s possible.”

YesPlay brings established credentials in South African rugby. The company already sponsors the Toyota Cheetahs and held title sponsorship of the YesPlay Cup fixture between the Springboks and the Barbarians earlier this year. The Free State Cheetahs also count YesPlay among their sponsors, reflecting the platform’s investment in the sport at multiple levels.

The front-of-jersey position is secured, but South African Deaf Rugby continues searching for a back-of-jersey sponsor to fully cover the financial requirements for the Tokyo campaign. The organization operates as a largely self-funded charity, and that final hurdle remains. Interested sponsors can visit www.sadeafrugby.co.za or contact [email protected].

The final travelling squad will be announced later this month. Whether the back-of-jersey gap closes in time will determine just how complete the team’s preparation can be before they board that flight to Japan.