Mkhari is the Right choice for Women Springboks

By Andile and Mandla Dladla

The South Africa women’s national rugby team is hard at work in the capital city Pretoria preparing for what is going to be a very busy calendar year with the biggest one being the 2022 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand during October.

Coming from a very successful tour in November 2022 where they went to France, England and Wales, the squad assembled at the University of Pretoria’s High Performance Centre to start preparations that would lead up to the tournament that would be played in the cities of Auckland and Whangerei.

A lot is expected from Right Mkhari, a bright light in women rugby who was born in the rural village of Bungeni near Makhado, previously known as Louis Trichardt and began her career at the age of 16 with the Blue Bulls Ladies.

Within a relatively short period of time Mkhari, who holds a Bachelor of Science and Leisure, took to rugby like a duck to water, was selected for the national U-20 Boks team.

“It was a very good experience for me because I got exposed to international rugby quite quickly as I got to play in the U-20 World Cup back in 2013 in the United Kingdom.

“After being part of the rugby showpiece I then realized that that was what I wanted to do every single day of my life and I began to put a lot more effort and worked even harder.

“It was a dream come true for me because I had previously participated in other sporting activities like netball and athletics but the dream of wearing the green and gold had always been the one I wanted to live.”

With the support of family Mkhari reveal that this encouraged her to push herself even further and it also gave her the opportunity to take a hard look at herself and she realized that she could really go far in the game if she put more effort both on the training and playing fields.

To be at the top one has to work hard and Mkhari is the definition of that, she believes that we must not give up by trusting the process and the system.

It is something that she has taken with her from high school that she will one day represent her country. It was around the same time that South African middle-distance runner and Olympics gold medallist – Caster Semenya – was dominating the world.

Semenya also hails from a humble background in Limpopo, not very far from where she was also born and this inspired and encouraged her to believe that for a black women coming from the village it was also possible for her to play for the Boks.

“When we are in the national team camp we do some outings and our management organises fun activities for us to do which helps us get to know each other better.

“My goal now is playing the world cup which I am more focused on and my future of participating more will be determined by the work I put in. I want to enjoy the game and be a role model to other girls aspiring to play the game.”

Director of SA Rugby Rassie Erasmus came out with the announcement that the association has its focus firmly on intensifying efforts to grow the women’s game from grassroots right up to the international level.