All Quotes

"No one in this country can become anything without books."

"We continue to learn about people that oppressed us, how is that still relevant in a democracy?"

"I find that phrase reductive. I'm a black woman and I'm an actress who plays a character named Hermione. J.K. Rowling wrote a story that empowers young girls—and not just white or brown or black or Asian girls. My privilege is that children can now see me and imagine themselves as the characters, too."

"Research on (small particles of plastic <5 in size) has long focused on their largest sink: the ocean. More recently, however, researchers have expanded their focus to include freshwater and terrestrial environments. This is a welcome development, given that an estimated 80% of microplastic pollution in the ocean comes from land ... and that rivers are one of the dominant pathways for microplastics to reach the oceans ... Like other , such as s (PCBs), microplastics are now recognized as being distributed across the globe. Detailed understanding of the fate and impacts of this ubiquitous environmental contaminant will thus require a concerted effort among scientists with expertise beyond the marine sciences."

"I didn’t have any fears because my mama said a prayer!"

"I’m geographically moronic!"

"I have always measured my success in terms of how far I fell short of or accomplished what I imagined the character to be. This has been and is a constant."

"Doing too much is one of my great failures – one with which I always wrestle."

"I really hesitate to offer anyone advice, each individual’s experience is so specific to them."

"What I can say for myself is that I have never taken anything for granted. The privilege of working [and] of doing this work in particular [is] the joy of the exchange that happens between the members of the whole company if you’re open to it [and] my responsibility as a member of a creative team [and] my responsibility to the audience."

"I have been immensely privileged to have the opportunity to creatively stand in another human’s psyche. It’s wonderful to commit to the journey of an actor, to live inside someone else’s head and heart space, to get as close as you can to how they are physically operating in this world. I have an extraordinary level of gratitude, to have been fortunate enough to have had an astonishing range of work, especially since I’m not one of those actors who can necessarily choose what role to play."

"I personally suffer if I spend too long in the city because I live remotely."

"When I came back to play last year, I was not quite where I wanted to be due to giving birth and getting back onto the field a couple of months later.I was training with the boys and that made me stronger as well."

"I wanted to be the best player. I had to; I have a son to look after. If I play well he eats well."

"For this World Cup, I just want to make my mark. After this tournament, I want people to talk about me. When I was playing u18, I started to dream about playing for the Springboks. Later I heard about the World Cup and then I set my mind on that"

"But we’re not here to just make up the numbers. We want to prove that women’s rugby in South Africa deserves attention, that we deserve respect. That’s on us. We’ll only get that respect if we deliver on the field. We’re all fully focussed on what we need to do."

"We know we’re not going in as favourites, But the growth of our team gives us a lot of confidence. We have structures in place. We have a game plan. We know what we need to do. We’re not shouting and making a lot of noise or promising we’ll do this or that. But keep an eye out for us. That’s all I’m saying."

"Because so many of our players are professional, and because they don’t have to worry about things like a second job or worrying about when they can train, we can work on things on the scrum, the line-out, the maul."

"That’s become our strength and we now love to get physical with teams and we back ourselves to compete in that space. We want to go to dark places with teams. We want to bring them to the gutter. We want to get physical because that’s a South African way of playing. The men’s team has had so much success playing"

"I am just so happy to be back. I love playing for my country and this is such a great opportunity for me to show that I am fit and ready for another Rugby World Cup."

"It is not about impressing the coaches, although that will be part of everyone's thinking, but playing international rugby again. I was kicking my heels long enough, now it is time to play,"

"The crowds are amazing and the support for their home team is just off the charts. For us as players, not used to play in front of 15 000 fans, it is a real experience, and I cannot wait to feel that energy again. It is actually the ideal place to make a return to test rugby for me."

"I still struggle to trust people. I find it difficult getting too close to people. I keep my circle very small. It can be hard. I’ve definitely not had a difficult life. I’ve had an amazing life. But ya, I suppose you can say it had an impact."

"Growing up on my grandmother’s farm, rugby was this thing that brought us all together. We’d all get a braai going, I’d play with the boys and the game was just this way to make me feel part of a family"

"Whenever the Springboks were on we’d all share the gees [Afrikaans for spirit]. When I’d see one of the players do something on the field I couldn’t wait to go and try it in the garden"

"Growing up with that love and passion for rugby, even before I knew that there was women’s rugby in South Africa, helped me deal with a lot of things in my life. Representing my country, realising my dream, it’s been just incredible."

"I now feel a responsibility to be an icon for other young girls. Being raised by my grandmother, I try every day to hold the values she taught me."

"Napoleon's career was too brief to enable men to see whether his course would undergo any change."

"When I go there, I would thank those who helped me along the way, gave guidance and advice and just supported me in chasing my dream. It is just sinking in, how much it means if people put their trust in you and you can reward them"

"The folks there actually joked that I will become the town's first Springbok and now it has happened"

"What we did see against the New Zealanders in Cape Town was that our physicality is tough to live with, and that gives us confidence for the weekend."

"I was in tears last year for not being called onto the field, but on Sunday, those memories were wiped out when I finally ran onto the field. Suddenly, all the blood, sweat and tears made sense to me.Looking back now, it actually made me stronger and more determined to prove that I can play at this level."

"The fact that I benched last year helped a bit with the emotions when we sang the anthem actually – I knew what was coming"

"It was such a great feeling and relief when I ran onto the field.By that time, I was in the game and really expressing and enjoying myself. The crowd was hectic, but soon I hardly noticed them as I was in the game."

"Without Father Gérard and Mr Hayne Clarke, I would not have been here, there is no doubt in my mind..I was abandoned as a baby and they took me in and became my family and the orphanage my home and my life."

"I can honestly say that rugby has given me everything I could have ever dreamed for, and for me to be playing for the Springbok Women tomorrow is almost surreal, but very true. Dreams really come true, and rugby made that happen for me."

"When I played in my first game, with the encouragement of Father Gérard and Mr Clarke, I immediately felt the sense of belonging"

"I was at ease with the sport from the start and from then on, rugby became a very important aspect of my life. When I first made the Sharks team, I realised what rugby could mean for me and started to really invest back into the game."

"I was offered a scholarship at university because of rugby and that opened even more doors for me. And look where I am now."

"That first year was tough for me, I was young and it was tough mentally, as I was suddenly playing amongst senior players"

"In fact, at one stage that year I almost quit, but I realised that criticism towards me was not personal, but to improve as a player"

"I am a quiet person, but was told that I had to become more forceful in communicating if I wanted to succeed on the field of play. Once I understood not to take it personally and to actually do that, I became a better player"

"It made me realise that I was noticed by the national coaches and the fire to one day play for the Springbok Women was burning bright after that"

"There were so many emotions and thank yous that flooded me, It will be such a special occasion for me, but emotions aside, I have a job to do out there"

".I don’t know if I will miss touch or drop a high ball, but what I do know is that I will leave nothing out there. I will play my heart out on that field, in honour of all who made this possible."

"Making my Springbok Women debut last year was an absolute dream come true! It was a moment I had worked towards for years, and to finally wear the green and gold jersey was an incredible honour."

"My immediate goals are to absorb as much as I can from the coaches, senior players, and the team’s culture. I want to develop a deeper understanding of the team’s playing style, strategies, and expectations."

"Even though women’s rugby is becoming more and more popular, there is still a big support and sponsorship imbalance. It is more difficult for female athletes to find support since many potential sponsors give preference to men’s sport."

"Having a sponsor would offer inspiration and emotional support. It would increase my confidence and motivation to succeed to know that someone thinks highly of me and my skills."

"As a young athlete, I think there are a few essential aspects that can improve our prospects of getting sponsorship. Professional online presence so employers can more easily locate and evaluate us. When we have a great website and social media profiles that highlight our accomplishments, abilities, and personalities (it can work in our favour)."