New era for coaching in South Africa
When the Pick n Pay Women’s Super League kicked off on February 14, it signalled more than just the start of a new tournament – it marked a shift in South African rugby’s coaching landscape.
For the first time in the country’s history, an all-female coaching duo is leading one of the top and only professional teams, the Bulls Daisies.
Bongiwe Nhleko and Zenay Jordaan have stepped into the hot seat following Hayden Groepes’ departure – and they inherit a winning machine.
Groepes spent years at the helm, and in the last three years the side lost just once in 36 matches and claimed three consecutive Women’s Premier Division titles.
Now, Nhleko and Jordaan are tasked with defending that supremacy and proving that elite women’s rugby leadership belongs on the main stage.
Women’s rugby in South Africa has experienced rapid growth in recent seasons – not only in playing numbers but in officiating as well. Referee Aimee Barrett-Theron has become one of the leading officials in the country and internationally, reflecting the broader shift in opportunity and representation.
“I do think there will be a lot of eyes on us. The fact that the team is led by two females and has won the Premier Division three times does put a target on our back,” Bulls co-coach Jordaan told Rugby365.
“However, pressure is a privilege, and what is important for us is to stick to our processes, focus on ourselves as a team and focus on how we want to approach every game going forward this season.”
Both coaches understand the system inside out, having previously served as assistant coaches with the Bulls Daisies. More importantly, they understand the grind.
Nhleko is a former Golden Lions captain, while Jordaan earned 36 Test caps for the Springbok Women. They know the physicality, the preparation, and the standards required at the highest level.
Jordaan also reached a major milestone in 2025, achieving full World Rugby Level 3 accreditation through SA Rugby alongside Laurian Johannes-Haupt – a significant breakthrough in the women’s coaching pipeline.
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“It’s an opportunity for us as women to say we can also lead in this space. We can also coach a team,” stated the former Springbok flyhalf.
“I think, hopefully, after this season or during this season, it will inspire former female rugby players and those currently on their coaching journey that this can be done.
“And for us, leading and coaching this team is a real honour and a privilege. But we are not just doing it for ourselves – we are also trying to inspire the rest of the female coaches out there to say that it is possible to step into roles like this.”
SA Rugby has been hard at work trying to narrow the gender gap in top-level coaching.
Currently, nine former Springbok Women’s players have been named among 24 elite coaches selected for SA Rugby’s new Women Coaches’ Transitioning Workshop.
The workshop, which aligns with SA Rugby’s “Destination 2027” strategy, is scheduled to take place at Delsma Sports Farm in Riebeeck West later this month. It will serve as a formal prerequisite for nomination to the prestigious World Rugby Level 3 Course.
This intervention follows an intensive review of performance data over the last 13 years, which revealed that only two women’s coaches – Johannes-Haupt and Jordaan – had achieved full Level 3 accreditation through SA Rugby as of 2025. That statistic alone highlights the importance of this intervention.
The former national players who will form part of the workshop are Vuyolwethu Vazi, Nosipho Poswa, Natasha Hofmeester, Charmaine Kayser, Mathrin Simmers, Namhla Siyolo, Zolisa Noxeke, Karthy Dludla, and Rumandi Potgieter – a new wave of rugby minds preparing to step into high-performance environments.
Super League Fixtures:
Saturday, February 21
Sharks v Bulls (12.00; 10.00 GMT)
Western Province v Golden Lions (13.00; 11.00 GMT)
Free State v EP (15.00; 13.00 GMT)
Boland v Border (15.00; 13.00 GMT)
