Touch rugby star reflects on world cup experience
BRYANSTON – Nolo Madumo competed for the South African men's open team at the Touch Rugby World Cup.
A Bryanston resident accomplished one of his lifelong dreams when he represented South Africa at the Touch Rugby World Cup.
Nolo Madumo was featured in the article, Focus on world champ, Week ending 22 February, about his preparations for the world cup which took place in Malaysia from 29 April to 4 May.
Madumo has been playing touch rugby for the past 10 years and said being able to participate in an international tournament was a surreal experience.
“It was such an amazing experience, there was so much build-up and anticipation so once we were there it just felt so surreal,” said Madumo.
The South African Touch Association sent men’s, women’s and mixed teams to participate in the world cup and Madumo said overall he was proud of all the teams’ performance. He said the men’s 40’s team and the men’s 30’s team performed brilliantly during the tournament achieving third and second place respectively. He added that the women’s teams faced very tough competition and didn’t fare as well.
Modumo, who plays for the men’s open team said they had a brilliant start to the tournament but the incredibly high humidity in Malaysia impacted their performance and the team finished in eighth place. “We started off with a bang and won four out of our four matches but we lost to Japan in testing conditions.
“It was everything I expected and more, we’ve never played at that level before. We think our tournaments in Gauteng were tough but it’s nothing compared to competing internationally.”
He added that South African touch rugby players have been blessed with natural talent, however, many other countries have invested far more resources into their teams which means the playing fields have become more even.
Madumo said one of his highlights of the tournament was competing against Australia, currently ranked the best in the world.
“It was one of the best games of my life and we played a really great game.”
Madumo concluded that he was so proud to represent South Africa at the tournament. “When they announced our name at the opening ceremony it was incredible. Getting to sing our national anthem was just a bone-chilling experience.”
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https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/219677/local-superstar-to-compete-in-the-touch-rugby-world-cup/
