Why starting young holds the key to closing the gap in SA women's rugby

IOL News

10 hours ago

History beckons The Springboks Women will kick off their Rugby World Cup campaign on Sunday when they face Brazil in Northampton. Photo: Reinhardt Hamman/BackpagePix
Image: Reinhardt Hamman/BackpagePix
The Women's Rugby World Cup kicks off this Friday with the number one ranked and heavy tournament favourites England taking on the United States at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.
Two days later, South Africa's Springbok Women will get their competition up and running when they face Brazil, and they will be confident they can get their first-ever pool stage win in the history of the tournament.
The Springboks will also be up against Italy and France – teams they have never beaten before. But rugby commentator Layla Arrison, who will be at the World Cup providing expert analysis for television audiences, believes the women in green and gold will get through the pool stages and reach the knockout stages for the first time ever.
'We've never won a game at a Rugby World Cup, so that will be the most important thing. I've also gone on air to say this will be the first time we reach the quarter-finals. We've never made it out of the group stages. If we can do that, we're on a very exciting path,' Arrison said when speaking to IOL Sport earlier this month.
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For much of South Africa's post-isolation history, women's rugby has been seen as the stepchild, with little investment from sponsors and SA Rugby.
However, over the past couple of years, things have begun to change, and the women's game in South Africa has seen some growth. Arrison, herself a former player, acknowledged that there has been improvement, but a lot more still needs to be done.
A couple of weeks ago, England's Sarah Bern, considered by many as one of the icons of women's rugby, posted on social media that she started playing the game at the age of 10, something that's unheard of in South Africa. It's something that Arrison hopes will change one day.
'We're miles and miles behind [countries like New Zealand and England]. We are leap years behind where we should be, which is sad because we're a rugby nation. We have to become actively more involved in making sure we've got younger girls joining the system,' said Arrison.
'We have to start playing at a younger age, whether that be through clubs, schools, or junior competitions. We have to get our girls playing at a younger age. That's where SA Rugby needs to push harder, to convince principals and rugby coaches to allow girls at a younger age to start learning those skills.
'I only started playing semi-professionally at 19. Way too late. You can become coachable, but at the age of 19, it's too late. We need to have girls playing with a rugby ball at 6, 7, 8 years old, learning those finer skills, so that by the time they're 19, they can sign a full-time contract for 10-plus years.
'In terms of sponsorships and getting brands involved in sponsoring the Springbok Women, we've come such a long way with that and that's incredible. Now we need to start implementing all of this from a younger age to make sure we've got that pipeline growing.
'My dream is to see a Craven Week for women, where the best of the best from the schools get selected, then we have Under-18 teams that go on tour and we start developing all-round athletes from a young age.'
If South Africa can take the first step by winning a pool game and reaching the knockout stages, it could spark the momentum needed to transform the women's game back home. For the players, it would be a breakthrough on the global stage; for the next generation of young girls with a rugby ball in their hands, it could be the inspiration that changes the future of the sport in the country.
IOL Sport