Two UKZN players earn Springbok U20 call-up
Two UKZN players earn Springbok U20 call-up as eleven women from the university are named to the Sharks U20 squad for the SA Rugby Women's Tournament.
Hlekani Baloyi and Ms Asanda Mnyandu, who are part of the U20 Sharks Team and the U20 national team. (Image: supplied)
Two University of KwaZulu-Natal rugby players, Hlekane Baloyi and Asanda Mnyandu, have been named in the South African U20 women's squad, a national call-up that places them on the country's pathway to senior Springbok Women selection.
Their elevation comes alongside a wider Sharks U20 announcement in which UKZN supplied eleven of the provincial squad's players, the largest single-institution contingent confirmed publicly so far.A national call-up with a development pipeline behind it
Baloyi and Mnyandu's selection to the SA U20 squad is the more consequential of the two announcements.
The U20 national programme is the primary feeder structure for the senior Springbok Women's setup, and players who progress through it form the long-term base from which World Cup and SA Rugby contracted squads are drawn. For two players from a single university programme to be selected in the same cycle is unusual at this level of the women's game.
Speaking ahead of next week's tournament in Johannesburg, Baloyi framed the call-up as a beginning rather than an arrival.
"I hope to receive more opportunities to represent my country, province, and UKZN in the future," she said.
She added that the wider Sharks U20 squad was
"looking forward to playing together, enjoying the game, winning, and excelling in the sport."
Eleven UKZN players on the Sharks U20 sheet
The full list of UKZN students named in the Sharks U20 squad is Zandile Ngcobo, Nosipho Mkhize, Hlekane Baloyi, Asanda Mnyandu, Charmaine Mogashoa, Bokamoso Mokali, Tshepiso Maseme, Samkelisiwe Motha, Yamkela Moiloa, Zanele Hlongwane, and Akhona Gumede.
The squad will compete in the SA Rugby U20 Women's Tournament in Johannesburg next week, an annual national competition positioned by SA Rugby as the bridge between schools and senior provincial structures.
University frames it as institutional progress
UKZN's Executive Director of Corporate Relations, Normah Zondo, used the announcement to position the selections within the university's broader sporting trajectory.
"We are immensely proud of these young women for their achievements and for advancing the profile of women's rugby. Their selection to one of the country's most competitive youth rugby structures is a remarkable accomplishment and reflects the spirit of excellence that defines UKZN as the University continues to position itself among South Africa's leading sporting institutions. Their success also speaks to the growing depth of talent within UKZN's ranks and to the steady rise and strengthening of women's rugby at our institution. It is a proud affirmation of the progress being made in nurturing high-performance sport while advancing opportunities for women in rugby," she said.