Playing rugby and getting paid is a dream comes true for the Springbok women’s player Libbie Janse van Rensburg.

As a little girl playing rugby with her nephews on the farm, she would have laughed if someone had told her that she would be playing for the Springboks one day.

Well, dreams do come true. The Tuks Alumni are playing for the Boks. Last year during the Women’s World Cup Tournament in New Zealand, she became the first player to score 100 points in test rugby for the Springboks. In ten tests, she notched up 103 points (4 tries, 28 conversions, 8 penalty goals and 1 drop goal).

“Some days, I still find it hard to believe I am a professional athlete playing rugby. At best, I thought I would have to make time to play rugby between working full time as there was no future for women playing rugby in South Africa,” says Janse van Rensburg, who is responsible for marketing at TuksRugby.

For her, what has been happening in women’s rugby is exciting. It is only a matter of time before the Springbok women’s teams (XV and sevens) will start impacting the international rugby scene.

“A lot will depend on the passion and commitment of our younger players. They should, however, not rest on their laurels. Getting to play professionally as a rugby player does not mean you don’t have to plan for your future,’ Janse van Rensburg said during a recent interview.

She knows that no sports career lasts forever. You have to have a Plan B for the day you retire. It means if you are studying, ensure you get your degree. When she played for the Delta Drone Tuks sevens side, Janse van Rensburg took her textbooks with her when they played internationally.

“I can’t remember how many hours I sat at airports completing assignments or studying. That one time we went to Dubai, I had to write an exam before we flew out. Two days after we got back, I wrote another exam. I don’t regret making sacrifices and being disciplined,” she said.

Janse van Rensburg did her honours in sports management.

She began playing rugby at a young age. She grew up on a farm in Ellisras. Her nephews always looked for players to strengthen their teams. She had no qualms about joining up in these fiercely contested encounters.

“I was quite a keen rugby player up to the age of 13. At the time, I thought that rugby should not be a sport that girls should be playing. I then started playing ‘girly’ sports like hockey and netball. I was quite good at it,” she explained.

Everything changed when she got the opportunity to play touch rugby when she moved to Pretoria. Janse van Rensburg took to playing competitive rugby like a fish to water. A definite highlight was representing South Africa at a World Cup Tournament in Australia. The team finished 4th overall.

One thing led to another. Soon afterwards, Janse van Rensburg started playing sevens rugby for Tuks. It did not take long before she captained the team. With her leading from the front, Tuks won various international tournaments. Tuks even got to beat some national teams. Needless to say, she raked in a few awards as the best player.

New challenges now await Janse van Rensburg and the SA team. Come 2023 and it is all about new beginnings for the 29-year-old rugby manager at the University of Pretoria, and she is determined to start the new season with the same vigour as a year ago.

The team is currently preparing in Europe for a test against Spain, after which they will leave for Canada for a series against that country.

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