KNYSNA NEWS – SWD EaGirls & Titans Women's Rugby Academy High Performance Programme star, Zandile Masuku, was last month named the TWRA Player of the Year for 2021.
Former SA U18 player, Lemenecia Markus, is the U20 Player of the Year and Jaylin Roman the U18 Player of the Year. These special awards were handed out at the 16th annual Titans Women's Rugby Academy Players Awards held on Wednesday 8 December.
Masuku walked away with the main awards, bagging no less then five on the evening, including Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, 7s Player of the Year as well as Leading Try- & Points Scorer of the Year.
Masuku joined the Titans Women's Rugby Academy High Performance Programme in 2020 as the first intake.
She has since been selected for the SWD EaGirls team and also scooped the TWRA 7s Player of the Tournament during the academy's participation at the Safari 7s in Kenya in 2021. Former Titans captain, Marlene Adams, took the Forward Player of the Year award, with Ruzanne George winning the race for Backline Player of the Year.
Sheniqua Bacela took the U16 Player of the Year award and Eklesha Leo won the U14 Player of the Year Award.
During 2021 TWRA had 31 players in various provincial teams and two players were part of the national structures within the last two years. In total, 40 players were nominated across ten award categories.
This year saw a small change in the Junior Girls Rugby section. For the first time all the players from the School Girls Programme, from six primary schools and four high schools, compete for one single award in each age grade category.
In the past each school competed for one award in each age grade category. "We are extremely happy with the outcome of this year's awards and the opportunity to recognise and reward the unrivalled female rugby talent the Southern Cape has to offer," said Aschin Klein, Director of Rugby at the Titans Women's Rugby Academy.
"The Titans also want to thank each of our special guests, the friends of the Titans, who handed over the awards on the evening."
SWD Rugby Senior Vice President Ben Brinkhuis and Knysna businesswoman Sam Lurie (far right), hand Zandile Masuku one of her awards. Photo: Black n White Visual Media
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