Springbok men’s coach Rassie Erasmus must be looking across at his Women’s counterpart Swys de Bruin with envy at the moment.
Erasmus is in the midst of a mini-crisis at eighthman during the on-going Rugby Championship with captain Siya Kolisi recovering from injury, Jean-Luc du Preez suffering from illness and Jasper Wiese still serving a suspension.
De Bruin, meanwhile, is laughing all the way to the bank with No 8 Aseza Hele, arguably the first name on his team sheet at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.
Hele was superb during the recent two-match series against the Black Ferns XV leading up to the Rugby World Cup before the blonde bruiser exploded in the tournament opener with a hat-trick of tries against Brazil on Sunday.
It was a sight to behold when Hele, who hails from the KwaDwesi township in Gqeberha, was brushing off a handful of Brazilian would-be tacklers with the ferocity of an express stream train enroute to the tryline.
She feels though the aggression displayed on the park is out of sync with her natural character – almost like Marvel superhero Jennifer Walters’ transformation into the She-Hulk.
“Personally, it was a great one. I feel good, but it’s all a team effort. I just thank my girls who were there with me when I got the hat-trick, so it’s just teamwork, not just an individual,” Hele said, after the 66-6 victory over the South American debutants.
“But obviously, when I get that ball, I’m just something else. I’m a sweetheart but when I get that ball, I’m a monster. I don’t even recognise myself when I watch the game, but it’s so nice when I know my strength and I can use it to benefit the team.
The Bok Women’s gameplan certainly revolves around the 30-year-old’s physicality, along with the grunt of fellow forwards Babalwa Latsha and captain Nolusindiso Booi. And it is unlikely to change when they face seventh-ranked Italy in York on Sunday.
“We know we are very strong; we are a strong pack. So, if we don’t use what we’re good at, that’s not going to benefit us,” Hele said.
“We can’t go away from the set pieces that work for us. We’re still gonna do our own thing, not focus too much on them or else they can come up with another plan.
“There were some learnings, and we will take those learnings for next time. We don’t know what they’re going to bring, but we’re still going to stick to our processes.”
