In a new series on the clubs competing in the South Africa Wheelchair Rugby B League, the Mustang Wheelchair Rugby Club is spotlighted
Based in Bloemfontein, the Mustang Wheelchair Rugby Club is an outfit with an iron spine, a community heart and a habit of making history.
Starting from borrowed wheels
Founded in June 2011, the Mustangs began with grit more than gear. They had no training facility and only limited, borrowed equipment. Yet, they still managed to play two South Africa Wheelchair Rugby (SA WCR) league tournaments before the year was out.
Even in that fledgling season, national selectors noticed with a Mustang player making the national training squad. By 2012, their first full competitive year, the team won its first two league games and finished a credible fourth out of eight. The early DNA was obvious: resourcefulness, competitiveness and ambition.
Climbing the ranks and producing Wheelboks Momentum gathered quickly. In 2013, the Mustangs finished runners-up in the SA WCR League. Two of their athletes and a physiotherapist joined the national team, the Wheelboks, for the Asia-Oceania Championships in Pretoria. A steady 2014 saw them hover near the summit before ending the season in third overall. In 2015, they were back up to second with three athletes and a physiotherapist entering the national squad, and two players heading to the BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge in London.
Just as significant, 2015 marked the birth of a pioneering grassroots development partnership with Tswellang School, the first programme of its kind in South Africa, which saw 86 physiotherapy students rotated through Mustangs practice sessions, seeding a culture of skilled, multidisciplinary support.
Champions made unstoppable
The breakthrough arrived in 2016 when the Mustangs became league champions and remained unbeaten all year. Awards followed: Radio Rosestad named the Mustangs the Disabled Team of the Year while head coach Peter West earned a Coach of the Year nomination. The team vowed to defend their crown and did.
Through 2017 and 2018 they extended a remarkable winning run totalling 26 and then 38 consecutive SA WCR National League victories. They collected silverware and spotlights: Free State Sports Awards Team of the Year, Radio Rosestad Team of the Year (multiple times), and representation at national sports awards.
By 2019, the streak had stretched to 56 straight wins. Free State wheelchair rugby, powered largely by Mustang athletes (the only club team in the province), took the National Championships in both 2017 and 2019. It was a dynasty built on talent and on a deep system of coaching stability, community development and relentless standards.
Storytelling that moved a nation
Success travels. So did the Mustangs story. The documentary Wheeling and Dealing drew over 1,3 million views, while a Beautiful News feature clocked 177 247 views – a testament to how sport can cut across disability narratives to celebrate power, speed, teamwork and joy. These features spotlighted a winning team and reframed what excellence and inclusion look like in South Africa.
Development with purpose
From the outset, the Mustangs tied performance to purpose. Their Tswellang School partnership grew year-on-year, connecting promising athletes to the sport and showing learners a path into high- performance environments.
In 2018, the club launched capABLE, a bottle top and bread tag recycling initiative to fund wheelchairs for people in need. By 2019, the campaign had amassed significant tonnage of recyclables – proof that a club can leverage small, everyday actions into transformative mobility and independence for others.
Reset, rebuild and return
Like all sport, wheelchair rugby paused in 2020 under lockdown with restrictions into 2021 limiting training and competition. In 2022, clubs returned under strict protocols but without tournaments. Competitive rugby resumed in 2023 with the Mustangs finishing third overall – a resilient return to podium territory amid a national restart.
Embracing two formats
In 2024, South Africa introduced Wheelchair Rugby 5s (WR5s) to domestic competition. The Mustangs didn’t just adapt, they built. They integrated WR5s into training, developed dedicated 5s athletes and kept the Paralympic (four-on-four) discipline strong. They finished third in both formats. For 2025, they’ve set bold but grounded targets: Top two in WR5s and top three in the Paralympic discipline. The message is clear: The Mustangs plan to contend for titles across both codes.
People behind the pulse
A club this consistent is never a one-person show. Head coach Mariné McIntyre leads the technical and tactical charge, supported by technical staff Teboho Modise, Kagisho Modise and Deandre Pieterse with team support from Monique Smith. Financial backing from PHG Group underwrites key costs, while the University of the Free State (UFS) sponsors the training venue.
Cycle World assists with wheel repairs, Garden City Commercial Bloemfontein helps with transport and SweatGear kits the team. These alliances matter in wheelchair rugby, where equipment, travel and specialised support elevate both safety and performance.
Training twice a week
Twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 18:00 to 20:00, the Mustangs gather at Rag Farm on the UFS main campus. A typical session follows a high-performance arc that includes a warm-up, passing and ball-handling drills, a strategy block, then a game or fitness-focused segment, before a structured warm-down and stretch. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a club that’s sat at the summit and is climbing back.
Support for the Mustangs
Two needs stand out. First, transport support for development athletes. Getting new players to training and tournaments is the lifeblood of growth. Second, a training venue built to regulation that can also host tournaments to unlock home fixtures and a local fan base.
Financial sponsorships and donations remain essential for equipment, maintenance, travel and operations. The value proposition is tangible: Community uplift, national exposure and alignment with a team that consistently turns resources into results.
The Mustangs Matter
In a little over a decade, the Mustangs have charted nearly the full arc of sporting possibility from borrowed chairs to unbeaten champions. Their story is a template of how you build a culture, widen a pathway and keep standards high through cycles of triumph and transition. In the seasons to come, expect the Mustangs to be right where they’ve always aimed to be – at the sharp end of competition while pulling more people into the game.
If you’re in or near Bloemfontein and want to play, volunteer or partner, the door is open. Join their training session at Rag Farm (UFS) or reach out via phone 083 443 7903 or e-mail at mustangwcr@gmail.com. They’re active on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). Follow along for fixtures, community drives and results.
