As we celebrate Women’s Month in August, we lay the spotlight on a remarkable lady, Hollywoodbets Sharks and Springbok Women’s scrumhalf Tayla Kinsey who is currently preparing for her third Women’s Rugby World Cup.
A product of Hillcrest High School, Kinsey grew up in a sporting environment, was an avid lover and participator in different sports, excelling in many, and now finds herself and her team pooled alongside France, Italy and Brazil in Pool D in the global showpiece kicking off in England next week.
“I started playing with my brothers when I was about eight or nine years old, but because rugby wasn’t a sport available to girls, I went on to other sports, playing soccer and provincial hockey,” she explains of the start, and hurdles she had to overcome to get to this point.
She also played touch rugby at high school and was then invited to play club at Rovers when she was 18, selected to play for the province the same year.
Her rise was early and rapid, playing for SA Under 20s a year later and at just 20 was called up to the Ladies Springbok team, earning her first cap in 2013 for the World Cup qualifiers.
“This is my third World Cup and I’ve been really fortunate,” she admits.
“In the Springbok team we share a lot of life values that carry us. There’s a strong sisterhood and we emphasise being a family outside of family. A lot of the women in the team are mothers and women are naturally nurturing, so it’s a safe space to be who you are amongst other women.
“Rugby has given us a lot, we’re professional now, we get to travel the world which is a bonus in rugby. As is representing your country, that’s an opportunity rugby gives us.”
The sport is growing in the country, a recent 41-24 victory over the New Zealand Black Ferns XV is testament to that, and the Lady Boks have the potential to inspire a generation of young women.
“As a Springbok team, we want to do well to put other girls in the spotlight, because we know that if we do well, then they reap the benefits.
“The support now, compared to when I first started, is amazing, but it’s not where the men are. We’re not trying to compare with them, we’re doing ‘us’.
“They’ve been playing for years and years so it’s unrealistic for us to expect the same level of support. But even though it’s such a physical sport, women are strong in general and we’re breaking stereotypes that women can be strong in sport too.”
This is an important message, particularly with the focus on Women’s Month this August.
“That’s empowering for all the women out there because our fan-base is mostly women.”
