Local women’s rugby stars appointed as ambassadors

“My passion is to play rugby, it doesn’t matter what obstacles I might face,” said the newly appointed ambassador for Mastercard women rugby, Piwokuhle Nyanda.

Residing in Alberton, the Springbok and Golden Lions Women’s utility back said it is an absolute privilege that she was allowed to be an ambassador for women’s rugby in the country.

“I was taken aback by the announcement and it came as a big surprise that during a virtual panel interview myself and Chanel Alberts were announced as official ambassadors for Mastercard,” said Nyanda.

Alberts, the head coach of Pirates Women’s Rugby Team and also a resident of Alberton, received this accolade when unsuspectingly, Bryan Habana, one of the top test try-scorers of all time, and Dan Carter, New Zealand star and three-time winner of the prestigious World Rugby Player of the Year award, popped up on the screen.

Initial confusion reigned, but then their mentors made the official announcement, welcoming the women to the ambassadors club. Nyanada and Alberts proudly accepted the ambassadorship and were then further surprised by their Pirates Women’s Club members who were on hand to celebrate their success.

The ambassadors will partner with Mastercard to engage cardholders, deliver priceless surprises, as well as participate in initiatives designed to raise the visibility and appeal of women’s rugby to a broader range of enthusiasts, and inspire more women and girls to play the game.

“I experienced so much to be where I am today,” said Nyanda, “I come from a small village near Umtata in the Eastern Cape and all I knew was that I had to broaden my thinking to get out of there.

“Rugby afforded me the opportunity, but no one in the village knew about rugby and they couldn’t understand why I wanted to play rugby. Now, I can go back and tell them more about the sport.

“I started by playing touch rugby five years ago for a club in Bedfordview, and the coaches compared me with Bryan Habana. I then went on to play full-contact rugby at the University of Johannesburg, where I studied operations management on a scholarship,” she said.

She was then allowed to play at the Golden Lions Rugby Union women’s side and for Pirates Women’s team.
The Pirates Women’s club went to Dubai at the end of 2019 to play in the first women’s international 7s tournament as a club. Mastercard sponsored the team to play at the well-known tournament in which either club teams or national teams could participate.

“Rugby will always be my passion, it doesn’t matter how I play it or where,” said Nyanada, who played her first cap for the national team in 2019 against Spain in Despatch, Eastern Cape.

She couldn’t make it to the Springbok Women’s squad training in Stellenbosch in March, saying, “I had just changed jobs and was still under probation for the first three months. But I will be ready if the opportunity comes my way to play.”

During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and with lockdown, there was no competitive rugby played and according to her, it had a negative outcome on her.

“Not being able to play rugby and to train with the team made you tired, but also stronger.”

She will be taking part in the Rugby World Women’s Cup, which has been postponed to next year.

“We can now become stronger as we can train more together. We just need more game time, as you can’t compare yourself in training to how you develop, but only when you play matches. But I will be ready for the next step and looking forward to being back on the field playing.

“I am also excited about my new role as a Mastercard women rugby ambassador. This will allow me to help other women to improve or play the game and to participate in initiatives by Mastercard,” said Nyanda, who would like to score more tries in the coming years for her country.

Alberts was pivotal in 2017 in a bid to make rugby more inclusive for players from different backgrounds and make the women’s game more accessible to South African fans. In 2019, she led the team to win Team of the Year, the first-ever win for a women’s team in the 100-year history of the club.

“As a historically male-dominated contact sport, women have until recently not had the opportunity to consider rugby as a hobby, let alone a career option.

“But the benefits of the organised game are hugely beneficial for women, whether it’s playing on a grassroots or national level, or coaching a women’s rugby team. Rugby is extremely empowering and liberating for women and I am proud to partner with Mastercard as we jointly unlock women’s contribution to the game,” said Alberts.