Lithuania’s first SA rugby player – a Jewish Joburger

When Johannesburg rugby player Jake Glass flew to Europe earlier this month, he never expected to become the first South African and first Jew to represent Lithuania in rugby. 

“I joined the team on Monday the 10th, trained with them until the 14th, and then we played against Denmark on the 15th,” said the son of acclaimed local Jewish cookbook author Sharon Glass.

Jake grew up in Johannesburg, and started playing rugby at eight. His path has taken him from Pirates Rugby Club through school and university rugby, and eventually to teams in both South Africa and the United States. Along the way he was selected for the Lions U16 Invitational squad; played 1st XV at King Edward VII School; represented the Wits Young Guns; and earned All American and All Conference honours at Kutztown University. He went on to play for Santa Monica Rugby Club in Los Angeles, and now runs out for the Wanderers 1st XV in Johannesburg. 

Glass has been around the game almost his entire life. “I have been playing rugby since 2004 – for 21 years,” he said. “In South Africa and then in America, rugby managed to open doors in both countries.” His path to Lithuania wasn’t planned to be taken through sport, but family heritage. “When we got given our Lithuanian citizenship in 2021, I wasn’t even playing rugby. I was on sabbatical,” Glass said. 

Everything changed when he returned to the game in 2023. “I landed up reaching out to the Lithuanian Rugby Federation and just introducing myself,” he said. “I was coming to Europe anyway, so I asked if they wanted me to come early. They said, ‘Yes, come, we will put you up and pay for your food.’” That simple message turned into an international debut only days later. 

The biggest challenge wasn’t the rugby, but conversation – or lack of it. “There was very little English spoken,” he laughed. “Luckily, rugby is quite a universal language. If you understand the game, you can kind of get away without speaking to anyone. You just clap your hands and ask for the ball.” 

“I didn’t know half the players’ names,” he admitted. Their names are insane. I knew the captain’s name, and that was it.” 

The language barrier became one of the funniest parts of the trip. “I think it might have been the least English I have spoken in my whole life,” Glass said. “Then, after the game, we had a couple of beers and suddenly, everyone could speak English. They kept it back until I had played with them.” For a week in which he could barely communicate with teammates, he ended up feeling completely at home. 

“Rugby is the same everywhere,” he said. “The system they were running is what we run, so I knew where to be and how to do it.” He plays first team at Wanderers in Johannesburg while balancing a full-time job. “I still live in Johannesburg with my wife. My dad is there, and my sister. I work in Johannesburg, so I cannot just disappear. I’ve been working remotely while here.” 

Despite adding international rugby to his schedule, Glass managed to keep up his routine. “The time zone is the same, which makes it a lot easier,” he said. “Training was conducted late at night after work hours, so it didn’t really have an impact on work.” 

But his trip was more than about rugby, it became a chance to explore his family’s story. “There’s so much Jewish history in Lithuania. My dad was with me. He had never been there, so he explored his own history of the family.” 

Glass shared the roots that made his Lithuanian citizenship possible. “My great-grandmother was born in a place called Rakishkis, one of the Jewish shtetls. She fled in the 1920s to South Africa, and that’s how we got the passport.” Visiting sites connected to that history meant a great deal to him, especially the newly built Lost Shtetl Museum. 

Becoming an international player for a country with a small Jewish population added even more weight to the moment. “I don’t know how many Jews are left in Lithuania. It says there are about 2 400, which is tiny,” he said. “I also don’t know when the last time was that a Jew represented Lithuania. 

“I’m the first player ever from South Africa to play for them,” he said. “They are trying to figure it out at the same time that I am.” The logistics are complicated. “They can fly me out at their discretion from a cost standpoint. If there’s a need, they will pull me into the team. But South Africa is far compared to players already in Europe.” 

The cultural contrast between South African and Lithuanian rugby became immediately clear. “Rugby in South Africa is life,” he said. “In Lithuania, it’s not the biggest sport. Basketball is number one, then soccer, then rugby.” He pointed out that most of the squad balances sport with their jobs. “It’s not like the Springboks. These guys cannot fly across Europe in the middle of the work week. They don’t get much funding, so it’s difficult.” 

People often ask if this experience could open doors to play for South Africa, but Glass is realistic. “I couldn’t play for the Springboks now. I don’t think I’m good enough, and I’m capped for another country.” He hopes that instead, this debut could help him pursue a professional opportunity at home. “I would like to try play for the Lions or something along those lines. This should open the door. When I get back, I will have conversations with a couple of the teams and see if there is willingness to train.” 

As he looks back on the whirlwind week, Glass remains grateful and amused. “It was a cool experience,” he said. For someone who simply reached out; took a chance; trained with strangers whose names he couldn’t pronounce; explored deep family history; and represented a country that once shaped his ancestors’ fate, his achievement is unusual and deeply meaningful.