Cape Town - Jordan Konnight is en route to representing South Africa in Australia after receiving a scholarship to play and study with the Melbourne Unicorns Women’s Rugby Union Football Team.
Raised in Atlantis, Konnight impressed the Unicorns coaches earlier this year with her attitude, landing her spot among the Unicorns’ ranks by showing off her versatility and skills on the field.
With only seven years’ experience, Konnight said her journey and love for rugby were mostly influenced by her father, uncles and cousins who often played and engaged in the sport as a way of showing unity.
“Rugby was something that brought all my family and friends together. I found it comforting how a sport could bring together so many different types of people in unity, and wanted to be part of the action.
“I decided that I wanted to start playing rugby as well. At first it was hard getting used to the intense training, the constant sore muscles and the questions from others around me wondering why a girl would want to play rugby, but I did it. Regardless of what was going on around me, I put my all into performing to the best of my ability.”
“My grandpa was one of my biggest supporters before he passed away. He’s one of the biggest rugby fans I’ve ever met and the person who inspired me most to become a rugby player. Before games I remember my grandpa always telling me to go low in tackles. Some of my best childhood memories were watching my father and uncles play rugby with my grandpa whilst he shouted ‘make tackles’,” said Konnight.
At the age of 14, she trained and gained experience despite the fact that she was not able to take the field for a senior game due to her age.
Brackenfell senior women’s head coach Nell Rossouw said Konnight put in the work and dedication, and did not let any challenge or obstacle stop her from chasing her dreams.
“Young girls from Atlantis face many socio-economic challenges that have a huge impact on the community. Konnight is passionate about rugby and she set short-term and long-term goals for herself.
“As young as she was, she kept on putting in the hours, and it paid off. She was selected for the Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU) under-16 side in 2017, 2018 for the under-18, and amid the Covid-19 (pandemic), she was selected and trained with the WPRU under-20 elite squad in 2021.
“Konnight set goals for herself and by achieving the above-mentioned achievements systematically. She is a great rugby player and I think she deserves this scholarship, not only as a reward for all her hard work but for being a groundbreaker to open the door of opportunities for many other young female rugby players.
“She is going to be a great ambassador for our club, the WPRU and South Africa. She is an inspiration and her story is one of many success stories where a young woman can play ruby and become a groundbreaking player, both locally and internationally,” said Rossouw.
When Konnight received the news about the scholarship, she was ecstatic, but said the scariest part was moving abroad alone.
“I was honestly shocked, excited and a bit scared. Moving to a different country is definitely something big, especially as a young person moving abroad alone, however I’m always comforted by the fact that I’ll have my new teammates to help me settle in.
“Nevertheless, if I had to give advice to other young girls, I would say that life is going to be full of people who don’t believe you can do it because you are a girl and you are seen as not good enough, but as long as you believe in yourself, you can do anything.
“Push yourself to be the best version of you that you can possibly be. Once you have the mindset that anything is possible, you’ll be able to achieve anything you set your mind to. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and sacrifice, but if you’ve got the love and passion for it, anything is possible,” said Konnight.
Weekend Argus