Unorthodox Sport Signs First African Woman Rugby Player to Turn Professional

Springbok women’s prop Babalwa Latsha joined Unorthodox Sport as their new client. This strategic move is to unlock commercial opportunities for Babalwa as one of the most successful female ruby players in South Africa.

Latsha joined the Quins in February of this year and has made 22 appearances for the Springboks. She has captained the team on nine separate occasions in her 20 test appearances. The 29-year-old first made her debut appearance for the Springboks in 2018 in a match against Wales. She was awarded the South Africa Rugby Women’s Top Achiever in 2017. In 2020, she was signed by Spain’s Eibar Rugby Taldea, becoming the first African woman rugby player to turn professional. She is a member of the South African Rugby Legends Association’s (SARLA) development programme with the aim of growing grassroot rugby and making empowering changes for women in sports.

Babalwa grew up in Khayelitsha township in the Western Cape and used to play football and compete in javelin and shotput while at the University of the Western Cape. She graduated with a law degree and is using all she learned to help make some policy changes for women in sports.