Kradu blows his top over selection for training camp

Fresh from their fourth national title in a row, the Border Rugby Union senior women’s team has had 12 of their players called up for a senior women 15s training camp next month in Cape Town.

But despite Border’s dominance, Western Province have the highest number of players called up – 17.

This did not go down well with Border coach, Malibongwe Kradu.

The 12 selected from Border are Liyabona Dudumashe, Thantaswa Macingwane, Yanga Ndabeni, Nolusindiso Booi, Lusanda Dumke, Siphokazi Soxujwa, Siphosethu Mgaju, Zintle Mpupha, Maryke Kirchoff, Nosiphiwo Goda, Xolelwa Ncanywa and Eloise Webb.

As to why Border loosehead prop Asithandile Ntoyanto, wing Xolelwa Ncanywa and centre Ziyanda Tywaleni, were not selected, no one knows, with the trio having been among top performers this season.

Kradu, perhaps justifiably so, believes the East London-based provincial side should have had more players called up than any other union.

This because Border has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are the backbone of women’s rugby in South Africa. The four successive national honours, during which WP always came second-best, can back this up.

Border are leading the women’s rugby revolution so much so that two players from the WP 17 are products of Border.

But still the number invited from the Eastern Cape provincial side brings into question the selection criteria used by head honchos at national level.

Saru could not explain the selection criteria used, as they had not responded to e-mailed questions at the time of writing yesterday.

Kradu said: “We are excited that 12 of our players were called up for a national team camp and their mandate when they get there is to showcase what we are made of at Border.

“With that said, we believe there are at least three other players who also deserved to be called but if it is not meant to be then it is not,” he said.

“But we understand it in the sense that the people who selected the team have their own selection criteria and coaches select according to their game-plan.

“It might happen that those we think deserved the call-ups do not fit into the envisaged system as the national coach and selector want it.”

Kradu said the selection of the 12 showed that someone somewhere was taking notice of the solid work done to develop women’s rugby at Border.

It is even more sweet because Border is among the marginalised Saru unions but a leader of a progressive and effective women’s rugby programme every other union should copy.

Among the 12, only two – Macingwane and Booi have Test caps under their belt and featured in the previous women’s rugby world cup two years ago in France.

In that very world cup, South Africa failed spectacularly and finished bottom of Pool C, with not a single point following three defeats in as many matches.

Since then, Saru has been on a mission to rebuild the national team from the ground.

It would seem that the training camp next month is part of that programme towards building a strong and competitive women’s rugby senior national side.

For the Border women who feel overlooked for the upcoming training camp, Kradu said it was not over yet and that they should “hang in there and press on with the hard work”.

“They should not be discouraged because it may be that their time is still coming,” he said. — zingisam@dispatch.co.za