Mathrin Simmers: Breaking new ground for women's rugby in South Africa
Simmers spoke to Olympics.com about her journey into rugby, starting a women's club in high school and becoming one of the first contracted Springbok women’s sevens players.
Rugby Sevens
Mathrin Simmers has spent most of her life dedicated to professionalising female rugby in South Africa.
From starting a rugby club to being among the first women to receive a professional contract, and leading the Springbok women's sevens on their Olympic debut at Paris 2024, Simmers continues to leave an indelible mark on the sport and the generations to come.
Growing up in Knysna along South Africa’s picturesque Garden Route, Simmers started the Titans Rugby Academy during her high school years out of necessity. At that point, rugby was still largely a male-dominated sport with playing opportunities for women few and far between.
Simmers and some friends started Titans, and the club grew quickly despite the stigma attached to female rugby with around 40 women showing interest in playing.
Her initial playing days were not without their challenges with Simmers having to win over the hearts and minds of fans, friends and even family.
“It was quite difficult to actually get them behind me because at that time there wasn't women's rugby at all (in Knysna) and it was quite tough, especially for my mum, to accept that I play rugby,” Simmers told Olympics.com.
“She actually tried to get the priest to talk to me to stop playing rugby because it's not for women. When I made the Springboks squad, she was like, ‘OK, maybe it's not that bad, we can see where it leads to.' And ever since that, she has been one of my biggest supporters.”
Mathrin Simmers: A pioneer of South African women's rugby
Simmers went on to represent her country in both 15-a-side and sevens rugby, but found her niche in the truncated format of the game.
She was among the first group of contracted Springbok women’s sevens players in 2014, a year after she made her national debut.
The 36-year-old has experienced in real time the growth of women's rugby in South Africa, with more players being offered professional contracts and earning more playing opportunities in recent years.
In a career spanning more than a decade, Simmers has etched her name into South African women’s rugby landscape as the country’s most decorated female sevens player. She has represented South Africa on some of the world's biggest stages including 21 World Series event appearances, three Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments, and three Commonwealth Games.
South Africa sevens captains Selvyn Davids and Mathrin Simmers
Mathrin Simmers finally realises her Olympic dream
Simmers' Olympic debut at Paris 2024 serves as the jewel in her crown, with the team finally appearing at the quadrennial showpiece. The team qualified for both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games but, on both occasions, were withdrawn by the South African National Olympic Committee.
Despite those setbacks, the captain and her teammates remained steadfast in pursuit of their Olympic dream and their mission to grow the game in the country.
“It obviously takes time to get to a positive mindset after that disappointment," she said. "But we can't stop because we can't go to an event.
“The game still goes on, and we still have to grow the game, especially in South Africa, because we are such a great rugby nation. And for us just to keep building and to keep growing and we didn't give up. And eventually, we got the chance to actually go to the Olympics.”
Growing the game
Women’s rugby in South Africa is making encouraging progress, with more expertise and resources being dedicated to raising standards to be competitive at the global level. But the women have some way to go to reach the lofty heights of their male equivalents who boast an unprecedented four Rugby World Cup crowns.
On the sevens front, the men have won multiple World Series titles as well as bronze medals at Rio 2016 and Paris 2024. And the women’s team’s maiden appearance at the Olympics constitutes a major leap forward as they look to make further inroads.
“The Olympics for me is quite a big highlight, especially because we qualified two times before we didn't get to go,” Simmers said.
“Just going to this last one is amazing and finally getting to reach that dream. I know we didn't finish where we wanted to, but to be able to compete at that level and such a big global event was quite amazing. It was quite special!”
Mathrin Simmers keen to finish on a high
With her lifelong dream of reaching the Olympics realised, Simmers has some unfinished business before she calls time on her playing career. Her sights are set on helping the team regain their place on the World SVNS Series circuit which she sees as crucial for the continued development of the team.
She admits, "I was thinking the other day, we were doing conditioning on the field and the next morning my body was very stiff, and I was like, 'Why am I still doing this to myself?'
“But there is a bigger picture, and I still have a few tournaments to give. For me, it's very important to get the team back in the Series. Hopefully, when we do get there I will have a lighter heart to say, 'Well, good luck and all the best to you guys in the Series and just go do your thing.'”
Having been relegated from the SVNS series at the Madrid Grand Final at the start of June, the South Africans will be hoping to bounce back at the first attempt. First up is the second-tier Challenger Series which begins with two rounds on home soil in Cape Town in March followed by the third and final round in Krakow, Poland in mid-April.
The top four teams in the Challenger Series qualify for the SVNS promotion and relegation play-off tournament in Los Angeles in May 2025 along with the bottom four teams from the SVNS series. Four of the eight teams will play in next season's SVNS series.
Even if Simmers fails in her final mission, she has no plan to let her years of experience playing at the highest level go to waste.
“I love to coach, and I love to help girls with the sport. I did start with my coaching levels and slowly but surely getting to work my way up there,” she said.
“When I'm finished playing, I would really love to stay in the sport and just do my bit as a coach and give back to the community or to the sport that has been a big part of my life.”