Bulls made our dreams come true - Zintle Mpupha

By Kate Nokwe
28th June 2023

Springboks Women centre Zintle Mpupha believes the Blue Bulls Rugby Union is showing what is possible in women’s rugby in South Africa.

Mpupha is among the first 35 female players to play the sport professionally for the Tshwane-based union, and hopes it will not be long before other associations follow suit.

"What I'm seeing is throwing a very exciting picture into women's rugby – them vouching for and trusting that women's rugby can actually go further than just the Bulls Daisies," Mpupha told SABC Sport.

"Hopefully, and we're praying, that other provinces will buy in [to the professional model] to make it more competitive and not just being the Bulls Daisies.

"But, it's the opportunities that we – in women's rugby – are looking for, that we get professional [deals] not just in the national team but provincially as well."

Bulls Special Projects manager Thando Manana has been the face behind the project, while former Bok Women captain Mandisa Williams is part of the coaching staff.

Mpupha says having such personnel ensures a much easier path for the players.

"What Bulls Daisies is doing is like really a dream come true for a lot of us, and I think it's going in a very good direction with having a lot of people that have been professional before driving it forward, and pouring out what they have learnt into the ladies as well," she added.

Mpupha is no stranger to professional rugby, with the versatile 29-year-old, who represented SA in the 15s and sevens World Cups, being the first female South African to play in England’s Premiership for Exeter Chiefs Women in 2021.

She says the country has made great strides in women’s rugby, but still lags behind nations like England.

"We're still far away [from other countries] but we're going in the right direction, if I may put it that way, Kate... No matter how far we are, I think women's rugby in South Africa is going in the right direction, where everyone would want it to be.

"It might not be for us, people that have been playing for very long, but maybe for the next generation it's going to be in very good hands when we actually leave the system," she concluded.