The Rugby World Cup 2011 is almost upon us, a month of endless running, passion and, yes, testosterone.
There is, however, a more friendly version of the game . . . One that allows you to break a sweat and not a bone. Namely touch rugby. And perhaps none is more of an ambassador for the sport than La Lucia’s Jenna Nortier.
Jenna Nortier is one of the few players in South Africa who have competed in touch rugby at both local and international level. Speaking on being part of the team that finished third in the Touch Rugby World Cup held in Scotland, Jenna highlighted the fact that the standard is very high compared with local touch rugby tournaments.
“Competing in World Cup tournaments is nothing like any touch tournament you will ever play in,” said Jenna. “The standard is incredibly high, the sportsmanship and buzz between all the different countries is wonderful and great to be a part of.”
But for Jenna, playing the sport is about much more than just the world stage. She initially began playing touch rugby in high school and has not looked back since.
On the way, she has played in many different championships and was selected as captain for the U19 World Cup Squad. Now aged 24, Jenna says that it’s a great experience to be part of the team.
“Being selected as U19 SA captain was an amazing feeling, a feeling that cannot be put into words. It was a very proud moment for me singing our national anthem in Green and Gold.”
Experience
Through her career Jenna says that she has had a lot of people who have influenced her and encouraged her to keep playing the sport. One memorable experience was being able to play with one of the legends of the game. “There are quite a few people who stand out, so it’s hard to single out one person; but I think the one person I must mention is Peter Walters,” said Jenna. “He’s known as Mr Touch worldwide. I had the opportunity to play in Peter’s league team in New Zealand, what an experience!!”
Although touch rugby is generally regarded as a lesser version of its male dominated counterpart, Jenna says there is a lot that is required to play the sport at the highest level. Not least of which, are several hours of weekly practice and training.
“Touch is a very fast game, so you do need to be incredibly fit. Before training for touch rugby, specifically, you need to have a base fitness,” said Jenna, “Once you have your base, you then should start working on your agility, speed and core training.”
Currently Jenna is one of the key figures in establishing touch rugby as a sport at regional level. Speaking on the various challenges faced by the sport, Jenna said that funding is one of the biggest stumbling blocks. So much so, that even at tournaments, players have to fund themselves.
“We battle to get sponsorship as not many people know about touch rugby, and we battle to let people know about touch because we are battling to get a sponsor to help us – so it’s unfortunately a bit of a catch 22 situation.”
Jenna is currently heading up an initiative to help better organise touch rugby events in Durban and the province as a whole. Called In2Touch, the project aims to get people from all levels more involved not only in playing but also supporting the game.
“As a franchisee of In2Touch Durban, I manage and organise both the senior/corporate and schools touch leagues in Durban. Senior/Corporate league is run every Wednesday night at Moses Mabhida People’s Park fields, there are four divisions available. The In2Touch Durban League caters for men and women of all ages.
“Touch is great to keep fit and socialise, and it’s always good to see new people come and make their way into our games.”
Contact info: 071 881 1120; jennanortier@gmail.com