Beyond The Try Line

What began as a favour—helping a friend with some rugby-related photography—quickly became something far more personal. As I spent more time around the game at grassroots level, I realised there were stories everywhere: of pride, struggle, community, and belonging. That’s how this project was born—out of a deep-rooted connection to the Boland, a lifelong love for rugby, and a desire to document a world too often overlooked.

Based in Paarl, I’ve worked as a portrait and documentary photographer for over 14 years. But this is different. This isn’t just about the game—it’s about what the game means to the people who live it. In many of the Boland’s working-class and rural communities, rugby is not just a pastime. It’s a way out. A structure. A place to belong. For boys and girls growing up surrounded by poverty, violence, and uncertainty, the rugby field is often the one place that feels safe and full of possibility.

Through intimate portraits, environmental shots, and quiet moments of connection, this project aims to honour that space—and the people who hold it together. Coaches, players, parents, volunteers—each with their own story, yet connected by something bigger than themselves.

The project also intersects with the work of Andy, a passionate rugby man originally from the UK who now lives in South Africa. Through his company, Scrum5ive, Andy runs a rugby kit recycling initiative in partnership with Gareth Simpson (a professional player behind Rugby Recycled), SOS Kit Aid, the UK High Commission, and the Foreign Office. Together, they collect pre-loved rugby gear in the UK and distribute it to under-resourced clubs, schools, and individuals across South Africa. While I’m not directly involved in that part of the work, our paths cross on the field—Andy delivering kit, me capturing the impact it has.

What I’m doing is not a campaign or a charity initiative. It’s a long-term documentary project about people, place, and pride. About how rugby can hold a community together when so much else is falling apart. I call it Beyond the Try Line, because the stories that matter most often begin after the whistle blows.