Currently, the Springbok Sevens Springbok, Marlize de Bruin, may be hobbling about, but it is said you can’t keep a good woman down. So it won’t be surprising if she debuts for the Bulls Daisies in July.
The Tuks Alumni can’t wait. She has been playing rugby for less than a year, but already she is addicted to the challenge of making crucial tackles and the art of dummying to be able to score tries. De Bruin has been signed to play as a scrumhalf for the Daisies.
“There is no moment I regret switching from playing netball to rugby. Don’t get me wrong, I had incredible moments on the netball courts, which have left me with a lifetime of memories. But there comes a time in any athlete’s career when they must make crucial decisions. I realised last year that I had reached a ceiling in my netball career. I was never going to play for the Proteas.
“”Sports is my passion. I never planned to be sidelined permanently at the age of 28. Getting an opportunity to play for Delta Drone Tuks Sevens allowed me to reinvent myself as an athlete.
“I believe women’s rugby in South Africa will become one the fastest growing sports. More and more athletes of other sporting codes will start playing rugby because of the many opportunities. There is the World Cup, World Series, Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games.
“I know of another provincial netball player who has decided to switch to playing sevens. She still has to make up her mind as to whether she likes playing rugby. What excites her is that she is off to France in a week with the Delta Drone Tuks to play Sevens Tournaments. It is an opportunity she would not have had as a netball player.
“I still coach netball at a school level. Since they know I am playing Springbok Sevens, quite a few moms have asked me to teach their girls basic rugby skills. And I am going to, but honestly, there is still so much I need to learn about being a better rugby player. That is why I am excited to also get an opportunity to play XV’s. The Daisies’ head coach, Hayden Groepes, is meticulous about how he goes about things. By listening when he coaches, I am learning new things.”
De Bruin injured her ankle recently, playing the first Challenger Series final against Belgium at Stellenbosch. She scored three tries during the tournament. She made her Sevens Bok debut last year. A definite highlight was playing the World Cup in Cape Town.
There were often references to de Bruin being South Africa’s fittest netball player. She has the distinction of being part of teams that won every major local tournament. A definite highlight was playing for the Gauteng Jaguars, which won the National Netball League title five times successively from 2017 to 2022. She was also the vice-captain of TuksNetball when UP-Tuks won their second Varsity Netball title in 2019.