Cape Town - Ahead of the big deciding match on Saturday, the Welsh rugby team abandoned the field to spread joy among the children at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
The Children’s Hospital Trust facilitated the team’s tour of the hospital on Wednesday. Four players and their management were present to hand out teddy bears to the children inside the wards.
Children’s Hospital Trust CEO Chantel Cooper said: “We went through a really rough couple of years, so this was to bring some smiles to the kids’ faces but also morale for the staff and also for the Wales team to connect with the community. And what better way than with the children of the Red Cross Children’s Hospital.”
The Welsh national rugby team is currently on tour in South Africa for a series of three test matches against the Springboks. Saturday saw Wales’ first win against the Springboks in South Africa, at the Free State Stadium.
The team arrived in Cape Town on Sunday following Test matches in Pretoria and Bloemfontein, and are set to leave Cape Town on Sunday after their final match on Saturday at Cape Town Stadium.
“We just had a chance to meet a few of the kids who were up on the surgery ward and it was really nice to say hello and get out and about rather than being at a hotel,” said Welsh player Will Rowlands.
Rowlands said the visit provided an opportunity to see the work done by the hospital and put a smile on the children’s faces.
“It's so easy to get pretty bogged down in rugby when you’re out here, and it’s high stakes when it’s Test match rugby, so it’s really nice to spend some downtime in and around a place you haven't been and also out in the community. And so something like this, it feels really special.”
Welsh rugby coach Stephen Jones said visits such as these were hugely important.
“That is what the tour is about, it’s about integrating yourself into society in order to get a full appreciation for the country and how the country functions. It’s very important and it’s great for all the players as well.”
