Top South Africa Women’s 15s players gather for Training Camp

Forty eight of the best provincial women’s 15-a-side players will gather in Cape Town on Thursday for a three-day testing and training camp.

The initiative will allow South Africa Rugby to take stock of the women’s talent on offer in the country.

The players, who were selected based on their performances in the 2015 and 2016 SA Rugby Women’s Interprovincial Competitions, will undergo testing on Thursday, which will be followed by a training session on Friday and a trials match on Saturday at the City Park Stadium in Crawford.

The Springbok Women’s Sevens players, who are based in Stellenbosch, will also participate in the camp and the trials match to provide a holistic picture of the quality of the players attending the camp.

The squad includes four players who participated in the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup in France:

Celeste Adonis (lock)
Nolusindiso Booi (lock)
Tayla Kinsey (scrumhalf)
Thantaswa Macingwane (hooker)
Another player, Kirsten Conrad, has represented the Springbok Women’s Sevens team.

Thursday’s testing will begin with medical screening before the players are put through their paces in a series of conditioning tests. On Friday, the squad will be split into two groups for a field training session at City Park, while the training camp will culminate in a trials match on Saturday before the players return home.

The training camp marks the first step to reintroduce women’s 15-a-side rugby following two seasons of focusing on development through the establishment of eight women’s Youth Training Centres (YTC’s) based at rugby unions throughout the country.

The YTC’s – housed at the Blue Bulls Limpopo, Blue Bulls, Border, Eastern Province, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Province, Griquas and South Western Districts rugby unions – were developed to groom players between the ages of 14 and 18 for the demands of high performance rugby through specialised training sessions, conditioning, nutritional programmes, and scheduled matches to expose them to competition regularly.

Senior Women’s training squad (in alphabetical order):

Name/Province/Position

Celeste Adonis (Western Province) Lock
Nolusindiso Booi (Border) Lock
Kirsten Conrad (Western Province) Flyhalf (pictured)
Nomaphelo Dike (Western Province) Winger
Liyabona Dudumashe (Border) Prop
Lusanda Dumke (Border) Looseforward
Annique Geswind (Western Province) Hooker
Aseza Hele (Eastern Province) Looseforward
Makoele Kamohlelo (Free State) No 8
Dludla Karthy (KZN) Lock

Megan Kannemeyer (Western Province) Fullback
Tayla Kinsey (KZN) Scrumhalf
Amy-Kay Klaasen (Western Province) Lock
Danielle Koegelenberg (Western Province) Looseforward
Babalwa Latsha (Western Province) Prop
Thantaswa Macingwane (Border) Prop
Ncediswa Mahijani (Western Province) Lock
Asanda Majombozi (Western Province) Looseforward
Nthabiseng Marutla (Blue Bulls) Lock
Vuyolwethu Maqholo (Western Province) Fullback

Kimico Manuel (Blue Bulls) Winger
Thandile Mazwi (Western Province) Flanker
Noluthando Mbambo (KZN) Lock
Xoliswa Mbobo (Western Province) Winger
Sinazo Mcatshulwa (Western Province) Looseforward
Siphosethu Mgaju (Border) Scrumhalf
Nomzamo Ngcamu (KZN) Scrumhalf
Nqobile Mhlangu (KZN) Centre
Rights Mkhari (Limpopo Blue Bulls) Lock
Akhona Mooi (Eastern Province) Prop
Lebathamang Mothumi (Blue Bulls) Lock
Zintle Mpupha (Border) Flyhalf
Viwe Mzozoyana (Western Province) Prop
Xolelwa Ncanywa (Border) Winger
Yanga Ndabeni (Border) Hooker
Zinhle Ndawonde (KZN) Centre
Demi Nel (Western Province) Centre
Randy Nkotswana (Leopards) Centre
Sarah Ramoraswi (Limpopo Blue Bulls) Winger
Snenhlanhla Shozi (KZN) Fullback

Nokubonga Siko (Leopards) No 8
Mellanie Smith (Free State) Winger
Siphokazi Soxujwa (Border) No 8
Ntsako Faith Tshauke (Blue Bulls) No 8
Nicole van Wyk (Griquas) Centre
Eloise Webb (Border) Fullback
Alicia Willemse (Western Province) Scrumhalf
Nomthandazo Thandi Xwethu (Western Province) Hooker

Sourced from Blitzbokke.