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IOL News
2 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Libbie Janse van Rensburg happy to play musical chairs in Springbok Women backline
Springbok Women's flyhalf Libbie Janse van Rensburg tries to hand off Black Ferns XV centre Kelsey Teneti at Athlone Stadium. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media Image: Henk Kruger Independent Media TALL, athletic, with her blonde pigtails hidden under a bucket hat, Libbie Janse van Rensburg is instantly recognisable at every Springbok Women's training. She's also usually the player calling the shots in every offensive move. But of late, the Springbok flyhalf has been moved around the backline with coach Swys de Bruin still testing out combinations less than a month away from the Boks' Rugby World Cup opener against Brazil in Northampton. Janse van Rensburg started at No 10 with Tayla Kinsey as her halfback partner against the Black Ferns XI last Saturday at the Athlone Stadium before De Bruin made a complete switch with Zintle Mpupha slotting into the flyhalf position along with Nadine Roos shifting from fullback to No 9 in the second half. 'I think it's exciting, especially for me. I've been playing at 10 for a very long time,' Janse van Rensburg told the media at UCT on Monday. 'I like the challenge of having to play at different positions as well. Although I find comfort in playing at 10, I know what's expected of me. It's also good to test yourself as a player so you don't become too complacent. 'As we saw in the second half of the last game, the coaches will make positions and sometimes put you in a position that maybe you haven't trained at or maybe you haven't had a run there. I's good for us all to be able to slot into any position. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'Like I say, anything happens at a World Cup. Anyone can pick up an injury and then you're going to have to adapt to it. I think it's good for our girls to play in those different positions. 'For me, I'm just doing whatever the coach wants me to do. Whatever he thinks is best for the team is where I'm at. I'm comfortable at 10, I'm comfortable at 12, comfortable at 15. So, like I say, whatever he makes the call. 'I think the team is very comfortable with me at 10. I think they find good cohesion around me at 10. So yeah, wherever the coach puts me at the end of the day, I'm happy to serve the team.' While De Bruin has stressed throughout the team's build-up to next month's Rugby World Cup that he is comfortable switching the players around in the backline as he believes they all have the similar attacking skill-sets, the constant rotation of roles can disrupt the defensive alignment, which the Black Ferns XV capitalised on by exploiting the spaces out wide when the Boks rushed up in defence last Saturday. Van Rensburg feels that this is not entirely due to the halfback pairing being chopped and changed as the responsibility lies with the centres to organise the players on defence. 'So, the rush defence comes more from our 12-13 channels,' she said. 'But in the end, it's the whole connection of the backline that has to call that rush.' The Black Ferns XV may have been a hastily assembled unit, but they certainly have a genuine playmaker in young Hannah King, who was desperately unlucky not to make the Black Ferns 32-player Rugby World Cup squad announced last Friday. The young pivot certainly showed the Black Ferns selectors that she would be ready for a call-up should there be an injury in England with an assured performance at first five-eight as she set up her centre-pairing of Hollyrae Mete-Renata and Kelsey Teneti alongside for four tries on the night. King's little pop passes to Mete-Renata were particularly telling with the hard-running No 12 directly attacking Janse van Rensburg defensive channel. 'That's why we're playing against opposition like that, because they put so much pressure on us. We're playing against the best that we can strive to become. I think it's been working for us,' she said. 'I had a bit of a chat with her (King) afterwards and she said, well done to our team and what we brought to them. We also tested them. 'I think it's so good for us to be playing against girls like that. They constantly trained at such a high level. It's a great opportunity for us. 'I think the preparations are going really well. We've been building such solid foundations throughout the last three games and I think it's absolutely great for us to have this kind of preparation leading into a World Cup.'
IOL News
5 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
From Lords to Langa: Proteas' Temba Bavuma completes the circle as a world champion
Proteas Test captain Temba Bavuma holds aloft the ICC mace on the world champions' open-top bus parade through the streets of Langa on Friday. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media Image: Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media Like a Cheshire cat that just had its cream, Vuyo Bavuma looked across at his son Temba in the manner that only the proudest of fathers could. Here they were together at the Langa Sports Complex in Cape Town, where the arduous journey had begun all those years ago, sitting across from hundreds of children chanting 'Temba, Temba Temba' with the ICC's golden mace adorning the table. The little dreadlocked boy, who had played with grown men in the Cape Town township, which ironically had streets named after Lord's, MCG, Karachi and Kolkata - all cricket citadels that Temba would go on to grace - had returned to his birthplace as a world champion after leading the Proteas' to a sensational World Test Championship final victory over arch-rivals Australia in London last month. 'Yeah, it's basically the completion of the circle,' said Vuyo. 'This is where he started coming into contact with cricket and is now back to thank people and the success that they have achieved. 'It's also to show that if you put your heart into it, you are going to be rewarded. Hopefully, his presence here is going to encourage lots of kids out there to strive for the best as well.' Proteas captain Temba Bavuma and his dad Vuyo Bavuma at the Langa Sports Complex on Friday. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media Image: Henk Kruger Independent Media Temba was equally cognisant of the significance of paying homage to "the community who supported me through thick and thin" and the need to bring his Proteas teammates such as Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Tony de Zorzi, Dane Paterson and Wiaan Mulder along with him to Langa. 'Like my dad said, this is where it started. This is where the seed was planted, we got watered. Just to enjoy the passion and love for the game' Temba said. 'I think like anything, there's obviously struggles. If you're going to go for anything of significance, it's going to be tough. 'If it was easy, I think a lot of people would be doing it. But I think I was fortunate to know I had a support system growing up with both my parents. I think that's a big factor. 'My parents were doing well within their careers. So from an inspirational point of view, from a hero point of view, I didn't have to look too far away from home. 'Obviously now, coming back here and sharing this with the people, seeing all the joy that they have, seeing people who ordinarily wouldn't just come to Langa, I think that's a thing in itself.' Equally, Temba hoped that the open-top bus parade through the Langa streets would serve as motivation and a reminder to the current youth that they hail from a talent-rich community that not only gave birth to sports stars, but also legendary South African musicians. 'We were never short of heroes. Langa is rich in sport, arts and culture as well,' he said. 'People like Brenda Fassie, Ringo (Madlingozi) they all come from this area. 'I guess we always had people to aspire to be like.' The Bavuma family has certainly left a legacy in Langa, and it will most likely be carried further by the next generation, particularly after a picture of Temba's son, Lihle, went viral on social media after the toddler, wearing a Baggy Green Proteas' cap, looked up at his father, who was the holding the golden mace in awe, on the Lord's outfield. 'For me, throughout the whole four days, that was probably the best moment of my life,' Temba said. 'He doesn't know what was happening there. He just saw the silver thing with the big ball at its end. 'Obviously, as time goes by, he'll understand the significance. Do I want him to go the cricketing route now? Maybe not … he swings a golf club very well. 'We're happy to deal with that stress. I think as a family, we've had enough of the cricket.' Proteas captain signs autographs for children in Langa on Friday. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media Image: Henk Kruger Independent Media
