Source link : https://rugby-247.com/2024/12/25/breaking-new-ground-for-womens-rugby-in-south-africa/
Mathrin Simmers keen to finish on a high
With her lifelong dream of reaching the Olympics realised, Simmers has some unfinished business before she calls time on her playing career. Her sights are set on helping the team regain their place on the World SVNS Series circuit which she sees as crucial for the continued development of the team.
She admits, “I was thinking the other day, we were doing conditioning on the field and the next morning my body was very stiff, and I was like, ‘Why am I still doing this to myself?’
“But there is a bigger picture, and I still have a few tournaments to give. For me, it’s very important to get the team back in the Series. Hopefully, when we do get there I will have a lighter heart to say, ‘Well, good luck and all the best to you guys in the Series and just go do your thing.’”
Having been relegated from the SVNS series at the Madrid Grand Final at the start of June, the South Africans will be hoping to bounce back at the first attempt. First up is the second-tier Challenger Series which begins with two rounds on home soil in Cape Town in March followed by the third and final round in Krakow, Poland in mid-April.
The top four teams in the Challenger Series qualify for the SVNS promotion and relegation play-off tournament in Los Angeles in May 2025 along with the bottom four teams from the SVNS series. Four of the eight teams will play in next season’s SVNS series.
Even if Simmers fails in her final mission, she has no plan to let her years of experience playing at the highest level go to waste.
“I love to coach, and I love to help girls with the sport. I did start with my coaching levels and slowly but surely getting to work my way up there,” she said.
“When I’m finished playing, I would really love to stay in the sport and just do my bit as a coach and give back to the community or to the sport that has been a big part of my life.”
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2024-12-25 16:47:44
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