She was instrumental in the 52-0 win against Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England in July where she scored two tries. She also represented the country in the Rugby World Series in Chile earlier this month where the team came ninth overall. Masuku has also signed her first international contract with the Spanish rugby team, Gaztedi Rugby Taldea. She told the Herald that nothing can be compared to the feeling of representing your country on the field.
“The tournaments were a big learning curve for us as a young team, playing against two of the top 3 teams currently on the World Sevens Series circuit. It was very tough but at the same time, it is just what the doctor ordered for our preparation for the World Cup later this year in Cape Town,” explained Masuku. Masuku started playing rugby at DZJ Mtebule Secondary School in Nkowankowa.
“They have been calling me a Springbok from the beginning of my career,” says Masuku. She joined the Titans Women’s Rugby Academy (TWRA) high-performance programme in 2020 and has since been selected for the SWD EaGirls provincial team and also scooped up the TWRA 7s player of the tournament during the academy’s participation at the Safari 7s in Kenya in 2021 guiding the academy to its first win over an international team when they beat Zimbabwe in the group stages of the competition.
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At the academy’s prizegiving in December last year, she scooped five awards, including player of the year. She says her coach Aschein Klein has played a huge role in her career. Zandile’s family has always been her biggest supporters, they would attend her games at the Nkowankowa Stadium to watch her play. “They have been calling me a Springbok from the beginning of my career.” Her message to young and upcoming players is that when you want something, to always push hard to achieve it, even when it is not easy or you lack resources.
“I was also there, but I just told myself that if I want to play the sport, I must make sacrifices, work hard and everything else will follow. Also identify someone who can be your role model and learn from their experiences and wisdom,” she concluded.
