Sarah Krone, a Grade 12 learner from Rhenish Girls’ High, has achieved what very few rugby players have done when she received provincial colours in three different formats of the game – touch-, tag- and 15-a-side.
Krone has been selected as lock for Western Province u-18 women’s team for the inter-provincial tournament week that will take place during the school holidays from 10 to 14 July in Johannesburg at Jeppe High School for Boys.
She will also take to the field to represent South Africa in the tag rugby mixed team tournament that will be taking place in Ireland from 2-6 August.
“It has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to be able to play rugby. I grew up with a rugby mad older brother, so it was only natural that I’d also become passionate about it. Rugby has always been seen as a men’s sport, but luckily that’s rapidly changing, thanks to many women that have shown the skills and abilities we have in this game. Being able to represent Western Province in 15s and touch rugby as well as SA tag rugby is what I can only hope will be my contribution to women’s rugby for the future,” Krone says about her achievement.
“It feels so surreal knowing that I am representing my country in a sport I am so passionate about. It is a bit nerve-racking knowing that there’s a lot of pressure on me to perform well, but the support from my teammates and coaches at TAG have inspired me to always do my best. I know that by the time we arrive in Ireland, we will be ready to make our country proud.”
She says she has a great support system who has made many sacrifices to help her to succeed and find balance in my life. “Especially my mom. She has made so many sacrifices in order to get me to where I am today and without her I wouldn’t be nearly as close to achieving my dream. Since my sport is such a time consuming part of my life it does get quite difficult to balance it with school work. However, my school and teachers have always shown support in my passion to play rugby and this pushes me to work harder in order to make them proud,” she adds.
Krone says although the stakes are high competing against some of the most talented and skilled players in the country, regardless of what the outcome is, she is incredibly grateful for the experience. “My biggest hope for the tournament is that we come out as winners. However, that is not the ‘be all and end all’, because I know that my team is passionate and we will leave happy, excited and grateful for the opportunity to have been able to play alongside each other.”
Krone says her biggest dream is to be a Springbok Women’s Rugby player. “I will continue to work hard but I know that overall it is my passion for rugby that will fuel me to succeed. I will develop my skills by continuing to play with people above me and learning from them. I have incredible coaches and teammates that have done nothing but support me and I know that we will continue to work together to help me constantly improve.”
