Titans duo jet off to join Spanish club

KNYSNA NEWS - Titans Women's Rugby Academy (TWRA) and SWD EaGirls duo Marlene Adams and Zandile Masuku recently left South Africa to join a Spanish club, Gaztedi Rugby Taldea, until the end of their season.

Adams, who was the captain of the TWRA and SWD EaGirls, joined the Titans in 2009 during a try-out rugby clinic as part of the academy's primary school girls programme.

She has grown from strength to strength within the Titans and SWD EaGirls set-ups, taking over the captaincy of the provincial side in July 2019.

Masuku joined the academy in 2020 as the first TWRA High Performance Programme student athlete intake, all the way from Tzaneen, Limpopo.

Both players are current members of the TWRA High Performance Programme that focuses on elite player development, preparing them for national and international competitions.

Adams made her provincial debut about a decade ago while Masuku represented the SA U18 and SA U20 teams before joining the academy and being selected into the EaGirls team in 2021.

The two Titans will become South Africa's fifth and sixth pro women's rugby players since Babalwa Latsha opened the international door, followed by Kimmico Manuel, Zintle Mpupa and Catha Jacobs.

The Titans duo will join Gaztedi on a short-term basis until the end of their current season in May, with the option to extend and renew their contracts.

"We are excited for them and wish them well," said Aschin Klein, director of rugby at the Titans Women's Rugby Academy. "It is always nice to see players excel in the game and breaking barriers and glass ceilings, showing the girl child what is possible when you work hard, fight through setbacks and never give up."

Zandile Masuku.