Rumour or fact?
According to Cheryl Roberts it’s a fact (@cherylroberts00). The South Africa Rugby Union is offering its women’s team contracts; some have already been processed.
Confirmation of this good news is hard to trace, but it shows more than goodwill on the part of the authorities. It comes soon after the appointment of Lynne Cantwell as High Performance Manager. They are taking decisive action. You might like to think that Cantwell = Cash, but the truth may lie somewhere else.
This positive news comes not a moment too soon. Although the SA Women Boks stand way ahead of all their African rivals, their lack of international competition leaves them off the pace; they currently stand 13th in world ranking. Their potential is enormous, but the World Cup stands a shade too close for us to expect upsets from them. It would do women’s rugby immense good to have a major nation of South Africa’s standing added to its top notchers.
It opens the door to professionalism in women’s rugby just an inch or two wider.
