It wouldn't be wrong to call the Tuks rugby player, Abigail de Jager, an adrenaline junkie.
As a moth can't resist the temptation of fluttering around a burning candle, neither can De Jager resist any challenge that will take her out of her comfort zone. If she gets injured, so be it. She will not quit. She will get up and go for it again. It does not matter whether it is on the rugby field, with a hockey stick in hand or racing a bike in motocross.
Taking this into account, it should be no surprise that De Jager was the player of the Match in the Varsity Cup match against Maties. Playing at flyhalf, she was instrumental in getting Tuks to beat Maties for the first time.
When playing, only one thing matters to De Jager. That is to get her team to go forward.
"If I see a gap, I go for it, and when I am over the advantage line, I will offload the ball. I like to set up my teammates to score. I also back myself on defence."
Rugby wasn't always De Jager's passion. In high school, she was an avid hockey player. However, everything changed when a friend asked her to go to a rugby practice with her. De Jager agreed because she thought it would be a fun way to lose some weight. It didn't take her long to realise that rugby was the sport for her. She now plays indoor hockey after the rugby season ends.
Motocross is her other big passion. For those who don't know, it is a physically demanding off-road motorcycle racing sport held on enclosed, purpose-built dirt circuits filled with steep jumps, sharp turns, and obstacles.
It is a sport in which you can't afford to make a mistake because if you do, it is guaranteed that you will come down hard. One of her regrets is not getting enough opportunities to race, but she is not willing to risk injury and miss out on playing rugby.
Tuks coach, Lizanne Jacobs, is proud of her team's performance against Maties. Tuks won 29-26.
"We were unfortunate not to score more points, but in the end, it doesn't matter. I was impressed by how our forwards dominated the set pieces and forced Maties into mistakes.
"Thandi Mokatse (6-flank) was brilliant in attack and defence. Our captain, Mbali Ndlovu, also deserves mention for how she always made the right decision at the right time and was not afraid to put her body on the line in defence.
"At the back, Precious Tlaka's play at scrumhalf also impressed me. Last week, she was the flyhalf. Lidene Kruger and Lerato Tshabalala were dangerous every time they got the ball."
Tuks play away against Fort Hare tomorrow. The two teams were involved in a titanic semifinal duel last year. Tlaka succeeded in extra time with a penalty kick to give Tuks the win. The final score was 8-5. Kick-off time tomorrow is 3pm.