Catch me if you can!
Local school student takes part in her first ever Touch Rugby World Cup.
SPEED, footwork and quick decision-making are skills that are key in the sport of touch rugby. While those skills also relate to the cornerstones of its full-contact counterpart, touch rugby is more strategic. Just ask Durban North resident, Hannah Maujean, who recently represented the South African mixed team in the Federation of International Touch (FIT) World Cup.
The Our Lady of Fatima pupil had a fantastic tournament, scoring seven tries (five in the WC and two in the warm-ups) despite tough weather conditions which dogged the Coffs Harbour playing surface.
The 16-year-old said it was a dream come true to represent her country on the world stage and help the mixed team finish third in their pool. Overall the country finished 11th in the tournament out of 22 nations.
“It was a fantastic experience, an absolute dream come true. I was shocked when I was asked to attend the SA trials and making the team was something I didn’t expect. Playing in your first world cup is always special, and it was awesome meeting touch rugby players from different countries as well as learning new strategies and seeing where we (South Africa) are competitively.
“The nice thing is nobody treats me like a teenager on the team and we all know our roles. Overall, our coach felt we could have won more of the games, but you learn from those defeats. Conditions were extremely tough throughout the tournament – we were playing in thick mud, which made mobility harder,” she explained.
Maujean, who got her first cap against Chile in the warm-up games, said she was extremely nervous before kick-off. “The nerves and the butterflies are intense, but once the game gets going you start to find your feet.”
While the local touch rugga lass is still in the fledgling stages of a promising career, she has another dream which she is hoping may come true one day.
“My sister, Naomi, plays touch rugby for the KZN U15 side and it would be a dream to play alongside her in a future world cup. We learned so much at this tournament and the final between New Zealand and Australia was phenomenal, you really got to see the difference in levels between the teams,” she said.
