The last time Zenay Jordaan left the pitch at the Rugby World Cup, she was carried off shoulder high by her Springbok Women teammates and England opponents, but she will return later this year, albeit in a new capacity.
The 34-year-old Jordaan played her last test for the Bok Women at Waitakere Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand in 2022, bringing to a close a 36-cap career, at the time the most played by any South African player.
Come England and RWC 2025, Jordaan – who recently completed World Rugby’s Level 3 coaching course – will return to the global showpiece with the Springbok Women in a coaching capacity, assisting South Africa’s coaching staff as part of World Rugby’s Gallagher High Performance Academy programme.
Incidentally, incumbent Bok Women assistant coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt was in a similar role in 2022, but she has since progressed into a fulltime coaching role in SA Rugby’s High-Performance Department.
Jordaan joined the Springbok Women training camp in Stellenbosch last week as the “on-field” element of her high-performance course kicked in, much to the delight of the former flyhalf.
“I really enjoyed the online part of the course thus far and I learned so much from so many experienced coaches in that time,” said Jordaan, who is also assistant coach for the Bulls Daisies, South Africa's top provincial team.
“It certainly added to my knowledge and composure as a coach. On the field is where I am at my most happy, so to have this opportunity to come and implement those guidelines were as pleasing.
“The fact that I know those players and played with some others at the last tournament has made life easier for me. Also, with Laurian (Johannes-Haupt), who walked this journey before me, also here was another bonus.
"She has given me good advice where needed, and I can always check-in with her if I am not sure about something.
“What has struck me thus far is the quality of the coaches they have here and how they manage to bring the message across to the players. There is good communication going both ways. The players are asking good questions and what impressed me is the clarity of communication regarding the sessions so far.”
The Bok Women are hoping to improve on their previous best finish at the Rugby World Cup (10th in 2010 and 2014) in England, and Jordaan is quietly optimistic about that.
“So far so good – the 100-day countdown has started, but we should not get ahead of ourselves,” she said.
“The most important thing will be to make the most of each training session and get the maximum value out of that. It might sound far away, but it will go fast from here on in, so the quality of work at training from here on in will be very important.”
Springbok Women performance coach, Swys de Bruin, said Jordaan’s presence is welcome, “We all know what a brilliant player she was and to have the intellectual property of one of the legends in the women’s game around is very positive.
"As to her role in the coaching set-up, I am adamant about the development of female coaches, as I believe they are the best way forward in the women’s game.
“Zenay is already involved with the best provincial team in the country and to have her around is a benefit to us all. The growth of rugby is about spreading the word, not keeping everything in a secluded group of people,” De Bruin added.