‘You can still feel her presence’: Bulls Daisies rally for Dumke in new season
The Bulls Daisies begin a new campaign carrying both expectation and emotion, following the devastating loss of their inspirational captain, Lusanda Dumke.
The Springbok flanker tragically passed away in December 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer, leaving behind an immense legacy – not only at the Bulls Daisies, but across South African women’s rugby.
Dumke was more than a player. Since the franchise turned professional in 2023, she was its heartbeat.
A relentless competitor and natural leader, she captained the Daisies to three consecutive Women’s Premier Division titles (2023–2025), cementing a domestic dynasty. On the international stage, she earned 33 Test caps for the Springbok Women and led the national side on three occasions. In 2022, she was crowned SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year.
Off the field, she founded the Lusanda Dumke Foundation to uplift and support young athletes – further proof that her impact stretched well beyond the touchline.
Now, as the Daisies prepare for 2026, her influence remains ever-present.
“Sometimes at training, you can still feel her presence,” teammate Yonela Ngxingolo told Rugby365.
“You think Lusanda would have said this now, she would have joked about this, she would have made fun of this. We think about her most of the time. I even told one of the players that I miss Lusanda.
“It’s still hard to manoeuvre around it, but maybe as time goes on, we’ll get used to the fact that she’s no longer around.
“It’s so sad. It’s going to take time. But we have to move on.
“I know certain things we do at training – she would have been leading that. You’re just reminiscing about so many things, and all you have now are memories.
“But we’re definitely going to make her proud. We’re going to fight for her.
“We’ve soldiered on before. From Border we soldiered on. At the Bulls Daisies, we soldiered on. In the national team, we soldiered on.
“I know she would have loved to be here with us, training. She never minded the pain that came with it.
“But now we carry her with us. That’s what we’re left with – memories.”
The Blue Bulls Company has confirmed that Dumke’s No.6 jersey will be retired for the 2026 season – a powerful tribute to the number she made iconic.
In a further gesture of remembrance, her image will appear within every squad number on both the home and away kits. The captain who drove a historic three-peat will, quite literally, continue to have the team’s back when they take the field.
For the Daisies, 2026 is about more than defending a title. It’s about honouring a legacy – and playing with the same courage, resilience and pride that defined Dumke.
