Dynamo girl Kaylee Nel ready for action

Being passionate about touch rugby, Kaylee Nel was bullied at school for playing a “boy’s game” – setting her on a path to prove the bullies wrong.

The science student with a passion for fitness, rugby and touch rugby, grew up at Zinkwazi Beach.

“I spent most of my childhood in the sea, sun and sand. I was known as the town’s beachbum who grew into the town’s only girl touch rugby player.”

Now a KZN Touch Shark, Kaylee began playing the game when she was 14 and occasionally played touch rugby with the boys’ team at Crawford College North Coast in her school years, where she later started a girls’ team in hopes of growing the sport.

She received her first provincial cap at 16 and continued to receive four more over the next four years.

Now 20, she said she felt honoured to represent South Africa at the touch rugby world cup hosted in Malaysia two years ago.

“I am now training to represent South Africa for the second time, in the Euro Championships which will be held in Nottingham next year. I am so looking forward to standing in front of a crowd in a foreign country, singing our national anthem for not only my team but for the people back home,” said Kaylee.

During this lockdown she has been keeping fit with the few pieces of gym equipment she has, as well as working on her ball skills in the garden.

“Growing up as a girl who plays a ‘boy’s sport’ was not easy. I was bullied because not everyone could accept that a girl could have a passion for rugby. Looking back I am grateful for those who were tough on me. Because of them I pushed myself even harder and proved that girls can do anything a boy can do, and better.”

The link and wing position player said she was grateful for her mother and sister who stood by her side every step of the way, and also thanked her coaches for always believing in her abilities.

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