EXCLUSIVE: SA legend confirms decision to call it a day
SPOTLIGHT: A career that spans over a decade. One can truly say this stalwart is leaving South African rugby in a much better space.
Not many players can say they have played in three World Cups, but Nolusindiso ‘Cindy’ Booi is one of the few who can boldly make that claim.
Booi started her international career 15 years ago and has experienced all the highs and lows that have accompanied the women’s game in South Africa.
She made her Springbok debut against Kazakhstan at the Al Ain Rugby Club in Dubai in 2010 – a period when South Africa showed very little interest in women’s rugby.
During her career, she featured in the 2010, 2014, and 2021 World Cup editions and was one of the casualties when the Springbok Women’s poor results led to their withdrawal from the 2017 showpiece.
However, even the international hiatus did not deter Booi’s passion.
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She continued to show great determination, and her natural leadership qualities quickly became evident, leading to her appointment as captain of the Springbok Women’s team in 2018.
As captain Booi leads by example, she recently became the country’s first women’s rugby player to earn her 50th cap for the Bok Women during the side’s 48–26 victory over Spain last month.
“I was very happy, to be honest, and excited,” Booi said when asked about reaching the milestone on April 19 in Alicante.
“I feel like it was a suitable day for my 50th cap. I know I’ve been playing and was supposed to reach it on previous occasions.
“But God made sure I received it on that specific day and in that space.
“Happy and excited at the fact that I’m the first – and happy to know that I will not be the last.”
She added: “It shows that hard work pays off.
“It was history for South Africa and something to inspire the next generation.”
Interest in women’s rugby has gradually changed since her debut.
These days, the Bok Women have experienced rapid growth not just on the field but commercially as well.
They’ve earned more wins, beating teams like the Barbarians, Spain, and Japan, and also attracted more sponsors who want to invest in the sport.
Unfortunately, Booi won’t be part of the future glory days of the national side as the long-serving captain will call time on her career after this year’s World Cup in England.
When asked if coaching is in her plans, Booi said: “I don’t want to think about it too much at the moment.
“I want to focus on the now, make sure I’m injury-free and fit to play. When I’m done, I’ll think about what I want to do.
“I think if I get an opportunity to do coaching, I would. I’m not sure if that’s my calling, but you never know.”
The Springboks will open their World Cup campaign against Brazil on August 24, followed by Italy (August 31) and France (September 7).
Unlike previous years, the Boks head into the fixtures as a much more settled side, with a perfect balance of experience and youngsters.
“A lot of the girls come with loads of experience because they’ve been part of the professional and national setup. There are young ones who still need some extra supervision.
“However, it’s not difficult. The ones in the leadership group help the youngsters. They know what is expected from them.”
She added: “We are just adding small details, one step at a time, because we don’t want to be overwhelmed.
“We don’t want to study all the teams at the same time, so we tackle one game at a time.
“We will take on Brazil, then Italy and then focus on France. We don’t want to rush through three games at a time because we will miss small details that might cost us.
“The aim is to make sure we reach the quarterfinals.
“I know every team that is going, their dream is to win the World Cup, and it is also our dream.
“But our main mission is to reach the quarters, and after that, anything that can happen.”
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From rural to rugby royalty
Born on June 29, 1985, in the Eastern Cape, Booi grew up in Trust No.3, a rural village in Alice and always had a love for sports.
She played cricket and netball. She also participated in athletics before starting her rugby career at the University of Fort Hare.
“After high school, I knew I didn’t want to play netball, and while I was at university, I was just walking around looking to play cricket.
“However, I stumbled across people playing rugby and was invited to join.
“I remember my first game – the only things I was good at were tackling and running. The other stuff, not so much.
“It was difficult because I was playing with people who had ball skills.
“Therefore, I also trained with the men’s team to hone my skills.”
She added: “So immediately after my first match, for me it was not about falling in love with rugby I was like, ‘The team travels, we go to different places,’ which I wasn’t used to, growing up in a small village, so it was like maybe I can try this – at least during weekends, I can travel.”
She moved from the University of Fort Hare to Cape Peninsula University of Technology to complete her studies.
She also joined Western Province and has become a stalwart for the union.
As she bid farewell to the game, Booi hopes that her legacy has inspired not only women but everybody.
“I know I give the young girls and women hope. No one would have thought that someone like me would reach this.
“So I want to inspire everyone that is out there that wants to give up on something, I want to inspire them not to give up and work hard.
“Things take time, look at me, it took me long to reach my 50th cap, but you can’t give up.
“You have to challenge yourself and don’t limit yourself.”
How Booi got to 50 Test caps?
Kazakhstan (2), Scotland (3), NZ (1), Wales (4), Aus (3), Canada (3), Eng (3), USA (5), Uganda (1), France (4), Samoa (3), Spain (6), Italy (3), Zim (1), Japan (3), Fiji (1). Ken (2), Cam (1), Madacagcar (1)
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