Fearless is an excellent way to describe Tracey Mthunzi when she flies out to France next week to play two tournaments with the Delta Drone Tuks Sevens Team.
She has never executed a tackle or sidestepped an opponent in an official sevens game. This does not faze the former Tuks Varsity and Jaguars netball player too much.
“I never thought there would be a day that I would say I am off to France to play sevens rugby. I would be lying if I said I am not a tiny bit scared, but my being scared has more to do with doing the unknown. You rarely get to do something new on such a big scale. I am going to embrace the moment. The worst that could happen is that I will have the best time of my life.”
According to Mthunzi, she has decided to change sporting codes because she felt like doing something new.
“I definitely had to make a few mindset changes going from netball to rugby. The only thing seemingly the same in netball and sevens rugby is the number of players on the field. Both require seven.
“The biggest thing was to get used to the amount of running. In netball, there is never really a moment in which you stand still. So I thought it would be a breeze to run the length of a rugby field. The first time I tried, I got a rude awakening. The 22-metre line was much further than I thought.
“Rugby requires a different fitness level because you use other muscles. It means I had to adapt my gym training. I also had to adjust my catching and throwing techniques from a round ball to an oval ball. Luckily, the one thing I have learned at Tuks netball is to adapt to what is required on the field.
“At the moment, I am playing on the wing. If I am not mistaken, that is number 14 or 12.”
Asked how she feels about the prospect of being tackled or going for the big hit, Mthunzi’s response was to spontaneously laugh.
“I was a bit scared until I spoke to Marlize de Bruin, the former Tuks netball player now playing Springbok Sevens. When I asked her if it was not sore when she got tackled, she said, ” No, man, you just brace it, and then you will be fine. A teammate said I would be fine once I had gone down in a tackle and executed my first big hit.”
When not studying for her BComHons Taxation degree or honing her newfound rugby skills, Mthunzi loves hanging out with friends.
“I love laughing and think I have the funniest friends on earth. I also love reading a book or two, especially since I can talk for ages at a time. Reading forces me to be quiet,” the Tuks player jokes.
The Delta Drone Tuks will first play the Centrales Sevens in France. Tuks won the tournament in 2018 and 2022. Their second tournament is in Portugal.