VIDEO: The South African forward forging a name at Leicester Tigers

SPOTLIGHT: Jasper Wiese, Hanro Liebenberg, and Handré Pollard are just some of the South Africans who call Leicester Tigers their home.

And while not many local rugby fanatics may be familiar with the name Catha Jacobs, the forward is another South African who has been plying her trade in Leicester Tigers colours for the past two years.

Jacobs, hailing from Ermelo in Mpumalanga, joined the Tigers in 2023 from fellow English Premiership side Saracens.

The 27-year-old moved to the UK in 2022 when she signed a contract with the nine-time Premier Women’s Rugby champions, Saracens.

From rowing to the second row

Rugby was not always Jacobs’ first sporting love. The only girl amongst four children, Jacobs tried and tested various codes and eventually began her professional sporting journey as a rower.

While studying teaching at North-West University, she signed up for the Odyssey Row with Riaan Manser and made the top 10.

She did not end up rowing with Manser. However, one of the judges, Sizwe Ndlovu – South Africa’s first Olympic gold medallist in rowing – offered her a rowing scholarship at the University of Johannesburg.

She studied Sports Science at UJ, and rowed for six months before her interest in rugby intensified.

“I got to a point where I had to pick, because I played rugby while still rowing, and [then BlitzBoks women’s coach] Paul Delport invited me to one of the camps at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport. I made my Sevens debut against Brazil.

“After that, he offered me a contract, and I had to pick rugby or rowing.

“I took the contract and stayed in Stellenbosch, but then COVID happened.

“After a while, the Sevens and XVs systems merged. I never really planned to play XVs, but when the opportunity came, it was an easy decision.

“I went to play XVs, and one thing led to another. I got a contract overseas while the Springbok Women were on tour, and now I’ve played four seasons in the Premier Women’s Rugby league.”

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The move to England was certainly not smooth sailing, the UJ alum admitted.

“My first time in England was a big step. I was new to rugby, but playing in that professional league was the best platform to learn and play with the best players in the world.

“In the beginning, it was a struggle getting used to playing with all the big personalities. I didn’t know a lot of rugby and was still learning.

“But I made a lot of good friends and got used to the weather and food, so it helped me fit in.”

She explained her move from Saracens to Leicester: “I went to Tigers because I needed more game time. At Saracens, I did get some time on the field, but not much.

“The training environment at Saracens was good, but while the Tigers are at the bottom of the league, I was offered more game time and went to Leicester.

“This season, we ended bottom of the log, but it’s a very good team environment, and hopefully in the future, we’ll compete for the top four.”

The ‘right direction’ for SA

Having played at the Bulls and now in England, Jacobs revealed that the idea of being a professional women’s rugby player is much more acceptable in the UK.

However, she said the sport has made massive strides in South Africa, with young girls now more familiar with the Springbok Women’s team.

“The women’s game is peaking in South Africa. It’s really different from four years ago.

“We had a coaching clinic in Stellenbosch last week, and the number of girls that were there, from really young ages to older, knowing who we are and saying they want to play rugby, is so much bigger than it was four years ago.

“I do think if more girls play and get the right acknowledgement in media and everywhere we go, it will become more acceptable. And definitely, in the future, it won’t be weird telling people you play professional rugby.

“We are going in that direction.”

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The Springbok Women are hard at work preparing for the World Cup, which is set to kick off in August.

The side will face Brazil, France, and Italy.

Jacobs, who played in the previous World Cup, said the team is a lot more settled and experienced heading into this tournament.

“We are putting in the work. We know where we are in the world rankings and where we need to be.

“I hope when we play Canada, we can really see some results and also identify what we still need to work on for the World Cup.

“We can feel the momentum building. Most of us in the squad have already played at a World Cup.

“We’ve been building for four years. We can feel the support and momentum growing.

“Most of us are going into our second World Cup, and our confidence is up. The games we’ve played, the work we’ve put in – Coach Swys de Bruyn has really helped us feel more confident in the way we play.

“He lets us play our individual game, so we are very confident.”

Second row v back row

Similar to the likes of Pieter-Steph du Toit and Franco Mostert, Jacobs is able to cover multiple positions on the field.

The forward can cover lock, flank and No.8. At Leicester Tigers, she is more utilised in the second row, while at international level, she is part of the loose trio.

“In England, I usually play four and five. But I do prefer the back three,” Jacobs said when asked which position she prefers.

“This is the first time I’ve covered from four to eight. However, I like to be in the loose trio, just because you have more freedom playing off the ball.

“My defence is quite strong, so being up in defence – not always in the line-out – and just that feeling of being a forward with a bit of a back’s freedom suits me.”

With all the big personalities in the game, the Springbok Women forward revealed that she, along with her teammate Danelle Lochner, is testing out new hairstyles.

“I want to have a different look, I told Danelle the other day.

“But my hair is long, and you don’t want it to get stuck in a ruck. So we’re trying a bit of a higher ponytail. We haven’t found the right one yet.”

When asked about her career goals, she added: “I want to make the World Cup squad and help the team perform and reach our goals.

“I’m thinking about coming back to South Africa, playing for a club team, and helping grow the game.

“In the Bok team, we have this thing called ETTIG – Every Try To Inspire Girls – so I just want to help grow the sport.

“Not just yet, but maybe get into coaching on the side and help grow the sport.

“Because it’s a sport that gives you so many opportunities – to travel, to make friends, and to earn a good income.”

Jacobs also revealed that one thing she would change about the game is using a smaller ball because it would help her offload like RG Snyman.