EXCLUSIVE: The modern voice of the game

It has only been three years, but her meteoric rise to becoming one of the most influential voices in modern rugby has been nothing short of impressive.

Hailing from Hermanus, a small town on the southern coast of the Western Cape, Layla Arrison has been turning heads in sports broadcasting.

Not unfamiliar with being a pioneer, she was born on May 1, 1997, and attended a Co-Ed School called Curro Hermanus, where she was part of the very first group of Matriculants in 2015.

She attended the University of Stellenbosch (Maties) and graduated in 2019.

After graduating, she moved to Pretoria, played for the Bulls Women and then ended her career.

She landed her first commentating gig in 2022 and soon became a regular figure on the South African sports broadcasting scene, as well as a presenter on the field.

Arrison was also part of the presenters’ group at the SA Rugby Awards, held at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town in March.

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Describing herself as a shy introvert, Arrison is fully aware of the massive responsibility in the commentary box and does not take any of her achievements lightly.

“I have a couple of pinch-me moments at times, because I have been really blessed in the sense that my career has taken off much quicker than I could have imagined.

“And with that comes a lot of responsibility, a lot of pressure, but I’ve always seen it as pressure being a privilege,” Arrison told Rugby365 in an exclusive interview.

“It has been a whirlwind. I’ve had to grow as an individual in incredible ways, but I always say I literally work with the best colleagues.

“People that support me, that I can lean on, and that have been in the industry a lot longer than I have.”

‘Always a fight’

Arrison’s success is a testament to her hard work and her passion for the game.

A prolific athlete, she excelled in netball, athletics, and cricket.

However, it was the oval ball that stole her heart as a student at Stellenbosch University.

She captained the all-female Maties Sevens team – where they initially trained on a volleyball sandpit – before playing for the BlitzBoks Women Invitational team and the Bulls Women (now the Bulls Daisies).

“We started the Maties Sevens team and trained at the volleyball pitch, and there was a constant fight to move to the rugby field.

“The fields were always occupied, and the day we were allowed to use one was a profound moment for me. This is real, there is a tryline, and in that moment, I knew I’d worked so hard to get my team off the volleyball courts.

“When that moment of realisation hit – that we were being considered, being taken seriously – that’s when I knew it was also going to be a fight, and I’m always going to fight in this sport.

“But the feeling of winning that fight really sparked my passion.”

Given Arrison’s resilience, the star has even bigger dreams she is eager to accomplish.

She will be one of the commentators at this year’s Women’s World Cup in England and hopes to book a ticket to the Men’s 2027 World Cup in Australia.

“I definitely want to work at the Men’s World Cup. I want to do more Test matches. I loved working at the Rugby Championship, so I would want to do more of that.

“I don’t want to stop doing Women’s World Cups – I want to continue this journey with them.

“I want to work many more international Tests, men’s and women’s alike.”

Picture credit: KDT Agency