Strand teen Bronisha Hess, who clinched the prestigious DistrictMail/Supersport Let’s Playsports star award in October 2019, continues to make waves on the local rugby scene after being selected for the Springbok senior women’s camp currently underway at Newlands in Cape Town.
Despite being just short of the age required to join the senior team, the exposure and experience nonetheless is a telling sign that selectors are eager to get the 17-year-old from Helderberg Park into the squad as soon as possible.
“Bronisha started playing rugby at the age of 11 and for Western Province under-16 and under-18 teams soon after that, so she’s been in the system for a long time and selectors are waiting for her to reach the required age,” said her mother, Bronwyn.
After her 2019 stint with Western Province, Bronisha admitted there were some tough times due to the pandemic-induced lockdown in 2020 in terms of keeping fit and working on her game.
But she patiently plugged away until seedings opened once more where she again was selected by Western Province.
At Welkom Girls National Week in 2021 she was again spotted by selectors, and later won a bursary from the Sports Minister for completing her school studies.
Bronisha, who has just matriculated, was awaiting feedback from universities where she had applied to study Sports Management.
Meanwhile, she has been keeping really busy, played 10s rugby in George over December, when she played for the Cape Regional Team, and also had a few training sessions at the Brackenfell Rugby Club.
She also currently trains at the High Performance Centre in Bellville.
Bronisha’s sister Shaunique is also an avid rugby player and previous winner of the DistrictMail/Supersport Let’s Play award. (“Rugby is al van kleins af ons sportster se passie,” DistrictMail, Thursday 28 August 2014).
“It’s almost as if history is repeating itself,” said their mother Bronwyn, “because Shaunique was also 17 when first called by selectors. She went on to play for the Springbok 7s and WP for five years.
Bronisha is expected back from the senior women’s training camp this Friday (3 February).
