TS Galaxy Queens coach happy with Refiloe Jane’s return to international football

Jane joined the Banyana in camp ahead of the Three-Nation series against Botswana and Zambia, which forms part of South Africa’s preparations for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title defence.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Sibiya says he intentionally gave Jane the armband in their Saturday Hollywoodbets Super League fixture against Ezemvelo, giving her a special send off to national duty.

"For the individual herself, it's a big thing because you know she's been an integral part of the setup. She's a key player as the captain of the nation. You can understand her emotions there,” Sibiya said.

“This past weekend I personally celebrated her, I said to her, in this team we've got leaders, we've got captains that are here, but for this game I'm gonna give you the arm band as you are going to go back to the Banyana team for these Three-Nations.

"Get into this weight of carrying the arm band for the team by the time you get to Banyana, you already have a feel of it."

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Sibiya believes they did exceptionally well to create a conducive environment for Jane to thrive after joining TS Galaxy, helping her to fall in love with the game again.

"You achieve a lot when you are happy. I personally have suffered from an injury that could potentially end my career but then, being at home, especially during the December holidays, being with family, being with my parents, being with my siblings, it helped my recovery,” the coach added.

“It helps speed up your recovery because I was no longer upset that I'm injured, I was no longer upset about thinking of the inevitable. The possibilities of not playing the game again but I was focusing on being happy and being happy actually helped.

“The first thing that we focused on was ensuring that she falls back in love with the game. It was also ensuring that she's in a happy and safe space, then everything eased up."