ZIMBABWE Women’s rugby rising star Ropafadzo Madyah was awarded the Breakthrough Player of The Year for Boland Dames at the club’s awards night yesterday to cap off a fine debut season for her as a professional rugby player in South Africa Women’s Premier Rugby Division.
Madyah broke new ground in June when she became the first Zimbabwe female rugby player to turn professional when she signed for Boland this year.
In her debut match for Boland, Madyah came off the bench and helped her team edge Sharks 11-5 in a tense encounter.
However, her team failed to win the league this season as they finished third in the six-team league.
Madyah’s performances did not escape the eye of the technical team, the club management, and she was duly named Boland’s finest.
Speaking to EnterSportNews from her base in South Africa, she said she was not expecting to be honoured on the awards night.
“I wasn’t expecting this award as I joined the team mid-season, and honestly, it just showed me how much potential I have to achieve greater things,” Madyah said.
The 21-year-old lock admitted that it was not all smooth sailing in her debut professional season, but her teammates made it easy to transition into professional rugby.
“The transition from just playing club rugby to playing in the First Division wasn’t easy for me. At first, I felt like it was a lot of work and effort, but then I realised that’s the change that comes with greater heights. The girls there made it easy as they welcomed me warmly and helped me out with the calls and everything else on the field,” she added.
“There were a lot of ups and downs in my first season for Boland, but in a nutshell, it was all I could ever wish a debut season to be like. I had some wins and some losses, but overall I gained a lot of experience. I managed to play side to side with some great springbok players, and now I know getting to be such a good and powerful player isn’t an impossible goal. It just takes discipline, effort and courage to keep going.
Those who have had the privilege of watching her play rugby at Goromonzi High School are not surprised by her journey to the top, as they say, she was born to be a star.
In response to that assertion, Madyah, who is in her final year at Stellenbosch University, where she is studying towards a Bachelor of Commerce Financial Accounting degree, responded with the arrogance of a winner but humble enough to give credit to Goromonzi High School for what she has become.
“I am also not surprised by that. During my time at Goromonzi, I was a sports all-rounder and won that award in 2016, so I guess it is just that people who saw the process and saw me grow would have expected it to pay out by me reaching greater heights. More so, I believe everyone who played rugby at Goromonzi has it in them to go far because it’s instilled in you there. You have to make it,” she said.
Her call up to represent her country in Sevens rugby remains the highlight of her career so far and has set her eyes on getting a call up for the national Fifteens rugby side.
“I will say when I got my first call up for the Lady Cheetahs in 2017 is still the biggest highlight of my career. I never saw myself going far with rugby, but as the opportunities kept coming my way, I started to see that I could go far if I put in the work. The next step is getting a Sables to call up,” she said.
Madyah is already looking forward to the next season and wants to become the best player for Boland.
“For next season, I have set out to improve myself as a player and get some new skill set. From playing centre for Maties to being a forward for Boland, next year I want to be ready for anything and be the best athlete I can be,” she concluded.
