And as soon as Dolf had moved from playing on tar to grass when her talents were recognised, she was invited to play rugby with her peers.
Imagine Dolf’s joy when the Springbok Women and Springboks flew from Johannesburg to Gqeberha on the same flight on Sunday, and she found herself seated next to Kolbe.
As she recalls enthusiastically: “We talked a bit of rugby, and he gave me some stepping tips.”
Since boarding the flight to the Friendly City, Dolf has not stopped smiling.
Not only did she score a wonderful try against Canada in the first Test at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where she plays her provincial rugby for the Bulls Daisies, but then, after spending some time on the plane with Kolbe, she realised she was home when the plane touched down at the David Stuurman International Airport.
“It was such a great feeling to be back. Rugby takes you to many places, but it also takes you away from home a lot, so for me to come back here was such a great feeling,” the fleet-footed utility back said after the Bok Women completed their second training session of the week, focusing squarely on a better result than the 50-20 defeat suffered in Pretoria.
Byrhandre Dolf on her way to scoring a memorable try against Canada in Pretoria.
“We trained nicely so far, and we actually took some confidence from that game, despite the result. We scored three very good tries and realised that the gap between them as number two ranked team in the world, and ourselves is not that big, providing that we limit our soft moments and stay in the fight.”
For Dolf, who made her Test debut against Canada 21 matches ago in 2023, the positives outweigh the negatives coming into the second clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“We focussed on playing with more intensity and not having those ‘switched off’ moments, and that already worked well for us at training. I am optimistic that we will be a much harder team to break down this weekend,” Dolf said.
On a personal level, returning to the impressive stadium will also be special. Not only will Dolf run out onto the field with the Springbok on her chest on Saturday, but she will also be playing in the green and gold in front of her family for the first time.
Special moments indeed, especially doing so in front of her grandmother, Lizzie Jantjies, with whom she lived since the age of 8.
“She is going to be there and see me play and that is special, as well as other family and friends,” Dolf confirmed with a broad smile, adding that her previous experience at the iconic city landmark was equally memorable.
Dolf in action at the Olympic Games in Paris last year.
“I was already playing rugby at the time and loving it and also doing well, having played for the Eastern Province U16 and U18 teams at the National Girls Weeks.
“In 2021, when the Springboks played against Argentina, I was actually a ball retriever inside the stadium for that match and when I handed Malcolm Marx the ball to throw into the lineout, I was the happiest person ever, being so close to a rugby idol.”
A lot of time has passed since and for Dolf, a lot of accolades have happened. She captained the Junior Springbok Women in 2022, made her Test debut a year later and went on to play in 21 Tests, scoring seven tries (and one conversion) in the green and gold, and missing only three Tests since that debut.
“That day I gave Malcolm the ball was huge for me and since a lot of good things happened for me in rugby,” she said.
“To come back here on Saturday will be more than just a game, it will be a homecoming in many ways and rest assured, I will be full of positive energy against Canada. This is going to be such a special day for me.”
And who knows, after the Kolbe stepping tips, it may also be a special day for the spectators.
