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Rights Mkhari: 'We will fight for each other till the very last minute'
By Ian Cameron
Springboks Women’s Sevens forward Rights Mkhari is refusing to be daunted by the bright lights and global backdrop of the HSBC SVNS, which kicks off this weekend in Dubai.
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Hailing from rural Limpopo, Mkhari, a versatile flanker and lock, earned respect globally. Although sidelined during last year’s Rugby World Cup Sevens, she bolstered her Test cap tally in Madagascar and WXV 2.
Now, focusing on the Springbok Women’s Sevens, Mkhari, known for her prowess in kick-offs, tackles, and turn-overs, anticipates her official Dubai debut in the World Series, reflecting on her unexpected rugby journey from Bungeni village.
“I played here last year when we were part of the invitational event, but making my official Dubai debut in the series will be a highlight for sure,” said Mkhari.
“I never anticipated, as someone from rural Limpopo (Bungeni village), that rugby would take me around the world and now to play in the World Series in Dubai. I have twice played in the Cape Town Sevens, which was an absolute highlight for me, but knowing that we will be part of the whole series, just added a new dimension for our team.
“The challenge is real, we are up again vastly experienced teams, but we did not work this hard and sacrificed that much to just give up when things are not going our way. There is a belief in the team, and we will fight for each other till the very last minute, that is a given.”
Mkhari and the Springbok Women’s Sevens team now face the daunting task on Saturday of New Zealand, Fiji and Great Britain in the Dubai SVNS pool stages.
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“But that doesn’t mean that we cannot win,” he said. “We will be seen as underdogs as long as we allow ourselves to be, we need to earn the respect of our opponents as the new kids on the block.
“We have a game plan, we have structure and we have belief,” she said. “What we lacked was an opportunity and that is now presented to us. We cannot let it go to waste.”
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The weather was dreadful but the playing surface was great so there is no real excuse for such another poor standard of play from both sides. Dragons just the better team. But, what a shocking decision by the TMO not to award the Fifita try. This pretty much sums up Welsh rugby with poor teams and poor officials. The WRU have a lot of work to do and it needs to be done quickly to avoid rugby being lost to our future generations.
Go to commentsNo chance of Borthwick selecting any young talent. He announced his selection policy from the outset with naming a poor OF as Captain, retaining an equally poor Youngs and Vunipola brothers when there were many better EQP in the Premiership. SB revival of Leicester was based on SA muscle and a terrific Welsh flanker he has generally ignored young English talent.
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