Eastern Cape born rugby player Zenay Jordaan, who represented the Springbok Women in both the Sevens and Fifteens, announced her retirement from the sport after the 2022 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
Jordaan is the most capped rugby player with 35 appearances to her name and also the only player in the history of South African rugby to have played six World Cups (3 Sevens and 3 Fifteens).
Speaking on her career highlights, the experienced campaigner said: “It will always be the fact that I got selected to play for my country and receiving my first green and gold jersey and every other moments after that to represent my country between the four lines, because every moment was special.”
Speaking with Rudene Hare, Jordaan takes us down memory lane, reveals lessons learned and shares advice to the next generation.
Zenay, thank you for chatting to us here at gsport. Please take us back to your last run in the Green and Gold at the 2022 Rugby Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.
The build up towards the last run or rather the last dance of my rugby career was quite emotional but I tried to keep my emotions intact for the teams’ sake simply because I knew that I still had a job to do for the team and at that point in time it was all I could think about.
When the final whistle was blown I could not resist the tears anymore because reality finally kicked in that it was my last dance for my country and my rugby career. I could not have been any more proud of my team despite the outcome.
I was also very proud of myself for what I had achieved during the World Cup, being the most capped player for my country as well as being the only one in the history of South African rugby to have played in 6 World Cups ( 3 Sevens World Cups and 3 fifteens World Cups). It still saddens me that we were denied to play at the Olympics after qualifying twice for it, because that was also part of my dream and a box that I would have loved to tick.
I am still very much grateful and proud of myself for pushing through the most toughest battles and for overcoming many challenges that could have stopped me from what I have achieved. I am quite content with the decisions I have made to step away from the game, because I always wanted to end my terms rather than someone or something ending it for me.
Who are some of the women you admire and why?
There are a few women that I can name, but I will specifically mention two who have played a major role at the start of my career. My mother and Lorinda Brown my home town girl who was a Springbok Rugby player as well, they played different roles. My mother being a mother who had her own struggles but had to break barriers in her own way and showed me that everything is possible if you go after what you want.
She displayed and showed through her actions that one can never settle for less then what your dream requires and to make it work, you have to work and sacrifice a lot to become what you want to in life and always keep God first in everything I do.
Then I met Lorinda Brown who took me under her wing when I first stepped into the setup, her leadership skills, her rugby mentality, the way she carried herself on and off the field, her humbleness and her mentorship really opened my eyes to what it takes to work hard and keep going regardless of the circumstances.
Those days were the tough days where we didn’t have much but we had each other, passion and love for what we did. We made the best of what we had to keep going.
What are some of your career highlights?
My best highlights will always be the fact that I got selected to play for my country and receiving my first green and gold jersey and every other moments after that to represent my country between the four lines, because every moment was special. To me every moment meant change, a chance to change the narrative of women’s rugby in South Africa and as a whole and to help it grow into something big. That was one of the reasons that kept me motivated for so long.
What lessons can the team learn from this year’s World Cup tournament?
I think what is important for the team is to compete against the best and to measure where we are in terms of knowledge, skills as well as experience. We had a very young team and for most of the players it was their first ever big tournament and playing against very experienced and against the World’s best teams.
The effort and fight from the team is something that we cannot fault. The team can be very proud and we looked at success in a different way despite the outcomes. I am very excited to see the future of women’s rugby grow into something as big as the men’s team.
What advice do you have for up and coming young rugby players who would love to represent the Springbok Women one day?
To the younger generation, be the reason of change for women’s rugby whenever the opportunity is presented to do so. You can never do it alone, but together you can. Have the heart, the right mind-set but also have the right intention and attitude when embarking on your rugby journey.
Lastly, what is next for Zenay?
I will shift my focus on myself and my future plans to becoming successful in something away from rugby a bit. Who knows, you might see me in a different position within the rugby industry in the near future.