Earlier this year, the South African rugby team Blue Bulls, introduced the Bulls Daisies, the first ever professional women's team in South Africa.
Highly-rated Hayden Groepes, and former Springbok Women's captain Mandisa Williams are the respective head coach and assistant coach of the Bulls Daisies team. The duo has signed three-year agreements to take charge of the women's team, which also awarded 35 players professional contracts for the first time.
Thando Manana, Blue Bulls Company Special Projects Manager and High-Performance Women's Rugby Manager said that he hoped to see the women’s high-performance environment modelled on the successful one he saw during his two-week visit to the United Kingdom.
“I am grateful to Saracens, Harlequins and the Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club for opening their doors to me, allowing me to spend time in their high-performance environment, studying the DNA of their setup and learning from their experience in terms of what has worked and what has not, as well as what served the development of women’s rugby over there and how we can adapt those key ingredients into what we are trying to achieve as the Bulls Daisies,” Manana said.
“Our ambitions are not to merely partake in competition but to establish a solid foundation where South African rugby stars will be produced, and I believe the groundwork we have laid over the last few months is already a step in the right direction.
"This is indeed an exciting time, and I hope that our rugby community will get behind us as we elevate women's rugby to the top," he added.
In a first in the country, the Blue Bulls Company has - this year - rewarded 35 women, with professional contracts. The contracted squad will form part of the Bulls Daisies, the official women’s team in Pretoria. pic.twitter.com/qnsknUJwW2
— Willem Strauss (@willemStrauss9) February 1, 2023
South Africa is the only top five rugby playing nation that does not have a semi-professional set up for the women’s game. Bulls Chief Executive Officer Edgar Rathbone said that the move to professionalise women's rugby was a landmark achievement, the success of which will have a ripple effect on the game from the grassroots to the national level.
"This has been a long time coming and almost feels surreal that we have finally summited this mountain top. As a family, we always say that all are welcome and that we have each other's backs and finally, our women in rugby can get behind that message knowing that indeed, someone has their back," Rathbone said.
Blue Daisies player, Jakkie Cilliers, recently wrote on her Instagram: "What a privilege to wear this badge on my chest. Representing something that most women dream of and being part of developing women's sports in this country. Making history with special people and counting all my blessings at the same time. To step out on that field and know that every step I take, is closer to the future that I dream of. What a special moment!"
