AUDIO: That Roos at 10 is pretty handy says Wallaroos star
AUDIO: The nostalgia of her roots in Zimbabwe has been a welcome surprise for Wallaroos centre Georgie Friedrichs who is enjoying Cape Town with her teammates during the WXV2 series.
Australia faces the Springbok Women in Athlone Stadium this weekend, and Friedrichs has been enjoying the familiar culture from her childhood.
She was born in Zimbabwe and moved with her family to Toowoomba in Queensland when she was eight.
Last weekend the Wallaroos, ranked seventh in the world, earned swift and comprehensive revenge over Wales, powering to a hugely impressive 37-5 victory to kick off their WXV2 tournament challenge in style in Cape Town.
It was sweet revenge after their six-game winning streak against the Welsh was snapped two weeks earlier.
The 29-year-old Friedrichs told reporters during a media briefing on Tuesday that she still has family in Zimbabwe and that food and buildings in and around Cape Town have brought back many fond memories for her.
“My grandmother and auntie are both in Zimbabwe, but my grandmother is a bit too old to travel. My mom and sister might go over to visit them.
“Cape Town is so cool, there is always something to do. Our days off are planned weeks in advance,” she admitted with a smile.
“A few of us are going to a game reserve over the weekend. There are the wineries and whatnot, and there is always something to do, and it’s cool.
“I get a bit of nostalgia, like with the food. I would think this is what I ate as a kid and the buildings I see – it brings back a lot of memories and makes me happy.
“It’s cool being back here.
“In terms of the food, you get most of it in Australia, but they don’t cook it like over here. I love boerewors.
“They cook like my mom,” she shared.
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Friedrich started playing Sevens when she was 18 and was called up to make her debut for the Australian team in 2016, spending the next three years as an important member of the squad.
A hip injury and subsequent lay-off eventually steered her towards the 15-a-side game and her elevation was so dramatic that she was named Wallaroos Player of the Year in 2022.
Her game is fraught with setting up tries for teammates and shutting down opposition attacks. Her work over the ball in the breakdown has been especially noteworthy, earning several penalties and turnovers with her ability to quickly get hands on the ball.
🏉 2 tries
🏃♀️ 167m carried
⚡️️13 defenders beaten
💨 4 line breaksHow good was Maya Stewart on Saturday? 😍#Wallaroos #WXV pic.twitter.com/CBlKaE6I1L
— Wallaroos (@WallaroosRugby) October 1, 2024
Looking ahead to this weekend, Friedrichs said they cannot take South Africa lightly, as they are on the rise and have some good results.
“In their last few games they’ve got a couple of wins, so they’re on the rise,” she said.
“They have a very strong forward pack so we expect to see big things from their forward pack this weekend but nothing that we can’t match.
“They have a couple of sevens players in the back line – Nadine Roos at No. 10, she’s pretty handy, and Libbie Janse van Rensburg at fullback – she gets over the ball pretty quick.
“So we’ve definitely recognised the threats in the back line and how we’re going to mitigate that as well.”
