5 Mins with Zeena Isaacs

Zeena Isaacs
has every reason to celebrate this festive season after experiencing the
biggest highlight of her sports journalism career when she interviewed captain
John Smit moments after the whistle sounded in Paris and the Boks were crowned
Rugby World Champions.

gsport’s 2007
May Woman in Media worked for SABC Sport as their field report and Business Day
as their correspondent, was on the touchline when the final whistle blew, and
describes the moment as magical.

Her hectic
schedule means she has very little time for herself, but this Christmas, Zeena plans
to spend time with family, and party hard!

She spoke to
gsport about her dream trip to Paris
and why she rates it as the highlight of her life.

What was it like being in Paris
for the 2007 IRB Rugby World Cup? 

It was MAGIC! The
experience I gained in broadcast journalism and the amazement of
just being there was fabulous! It was one of those moments I have
dreamed of all my life but I never thought
would happen. It was really the things dreams are made of.
It was definitely the highlight of my life. 

Who did you do work for, and what was the highlight
of your job?  

I worked for
SABC Sport as their field reporter and for Business Day newspaper as their
rugby correspondent. But fortunately I managed to balance the work
and meet the daily deadlines for both of them.

The highlight
of my work there was interviewing John Smit after the final whistle
sounded at the final. Very few people have had that luxury in SA since we only
won the World Cup once before – in 1995. So that was very special.

But writing a
preview for the World Cup final was equally precious because at one stage I had
to remind myself that it was the biggest possible occasion to write a preview
for and the article itself had to live up to those expectations and create
excitement for the event.

At what stage did you realise that the Springboks
could win the World Cup?  

I always knew
the Boks had what it took to win the World Cup. But it was after they beat England 36-0 in
the pool stages that I realised they were the team to beat in the
competition. It became more of a reality after England beat France in the semi-final and
we realised we would face them again in the final.

Argentina
were a competitive team, but I always knew the Boks would beat them in the
semi-final simply because they were playing good rugby and they had more
experience together as a team and more exposure to the top rugby nations in the
world over the past few years. 

Where were you when the final whistle blew and South Africa
were crowned champions.

I was on the
field! I cannot describe the feeling other than to say it was magic! The
boys came past us on their victory lap and everyone was so excited.
It was as though I was having a dream. All the money in the
world could not have bought that experience. It was the highlight of
my life! 

 
Who was your player of the tournament?  

That is a
tough one because everyone in the Bok starting line-up delivered the goods on
the field. But the guys that made the biggest impact on the field in my
view were scrumhalf Fourie du Preez, wing Bryan Habana and fullback
Percy Montgomery. 

Where does this trip to Paris rank in your highlights as a sports
journalist? 

Right at the
top. If it ever gets better than that, I will be very surprised. 

gsport’s theme for December is CELEBRATION. How will
you be celebrating this festive season? 

Spending time
with family and friends and Party hard! In this career there is very
little time to take time out with family and friends, so that will mean a lot
to me.

My mom, in
particular, has been moaning about me not being home much this year. So I want
to spoil her as much as I can.

What are your goals for 2008?  

I haven’t
set any goals for next year to be honest. I prefer to take each day as it
comes and see where life takes me. That has worked my whole life and
I tend to enjoy each day because I don’t put pressure on myself to
achieve things.

Leading Ladies:
Woman of the Month- Carina Bruwer: Sounds of Silence
Style Star- Bianca Le Grange: Music in the Air
Woman in Media- Hendrien Grové: Talent Falls Near
gSTAR- Tarryn Chudleigh: Ripping the Might Fantastic

Monthly Regulars:
The Penny Heyns Series: Action III
Wonder Woman: Celebrating Life

Personal Accounts:
Dorah Nkgage: My gsport Attraction!
Anja van Aswegen: Loving Sport!

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