VIDEO: MRL unveils world-class ref as 'head of safety'
NEWS: The founders of the Mzansi Rugby League have made their first significant appointment, a Head of Player Welfare and Safety.
Seasoned referee Fhatuwani Rasivhenge, more affectionately known as Rasta, was on Thursday unveiled as the organisation’s head of player-welfare and safety.
Rasivhenge also launched the MRL’s first significant project, the MzansiGuard.
MzansiGuard is described as a ‘living, mobile-first handbook designed for coaches, referees, and medics to use right on the touchline‘, to reference directly.
The South African who first made his mark on the Sevens circuit has been outside the South African Rugby Union structures for the last few years.
“I have been doing performance analysis with various countries,” the Head of Player Welfare and Safety for the MRL told @rugby365com.
“The MRL is a new initiative that is innovative,” Rasivhenge said, adding: “It offers opportunities to the market that is not tapped into.
“It will develop into a feeder system for the working class, filling that gap between the Varsity Cup and the Gold Cup [club rugby].”
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Calvin Smith, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of the MRL, said Rasivhenge began engaging with them around early September this year.
“He’s been outside the SARU structures since 2023, so he joined us independently and with full freedom to contribute to our player-welfare framework, MzansiGuard,” Smith told @rugby365com.
The unveiling of MzansiGuard is a first for South African sport, a comprehensive programme built with experts who’ve worked alongside World Rugby to ensure every coach, referee, medic, and player in the MRL is certified, educated, and protected.
“This will be followed by the announcement of another major initiative: the MRL Development Partner Programme, which rewards schools, universities, and amateur clubs that produce professional talent within the MRL ecosystem,” Smith said.
“Both initiatives reflect what the MRL stands for: opportunity, accountability, and player welfare at the highest standard.”
The 16-team league, based in nine provinces, promotes itself as the new home for South Africa’s next generation of talent.
It offers salaries between ZAR15,000 and ZAR30,000 per month, as well as premium medical aid coverage.
@rugby365com
