Never in her wildest dreams did Michell Bosch, a former healthcare worker based in Hermanus, think that a makeshift role as marketer and photographer would see her become a fully-fledged manager of the Sanlam Boland Dames women’s rugby team.
Bosch has been active in a managerial role for the past five years, but admits she never thought it would become a career-changing move when her now-fiancé and current Boland Dames head coach, Thomas Chowles, was asked to coach the provincial women’s outfit, in 2017.
“Thomas was contacted by the former president [the late Ivan Pekeur] to coach the women,” Bosch recalls, adding that at that time, she did not show any interest of getting involved with women playing a male dominated sport.
“For me, it was just a case of having the mentality, sjoe women’s rugby? Maybe netball or some other sport… I accompanied him to practice sessions and games.
“But then I started getting to know the players and realised there is not a lot of marketing being done to promote the game amongst women. And that’s when I decided to become the team’s unofficial photographer, essentially.
Women’s Premier Division competition. Photo by Ernest Kilowan.
“I started taking pictures at practices and games and slowly got involved in helping with some of the other off-field needs.”
Then the Covid-19 pandemic struck in early 2020, bringing a halt to rugby before the Boland Dames returned the following year to start preparing for the upcoming campaign in the Women’s Premier Division.
However, Bosch, still employed as a health care worker at that stage, was asked to step in as a “Covid manager” as the former manager did not comply with the regulations in place and had already reached the age of retirement (60).
And that is where her involvement and relationship with the Sanlam Boland Dames players began to take off, as the mother of four children of her own describes how she now sees herself as the ‘Mamma’ for an entire rugby team.
“I have always had a love for rugby but my passion is 100% these girls, Bosch says. “They are amazing people, and I don’t think a lot of people know what they go through. To be a woman, playing rugby, is not just a cut-and-dry thing. You still have a family that does not agree with what you are doing because you are a woman.
“The women’s game is difficult to do. The challenges with travelling and the circumstances surrounding their everyday work as amateur or semi-pro players. Are there opportunities within the game where they can grow and develop? Look, everyone wants to grow within the field they choose. And the women’s game has never quite reached that point.
“We have fought a lot for these women to study, and now it has become a reality, and these players are not just players, they have become our daughters. I can guarantee you.
“Before we had the house here, there was a time when 11 players stayed with me, and I sometimes laugh when I realised that when you are a women’s player, you can’t cook, and I always had to make food for the entire group.
These are phenomenal girls, and I look at a player like Buhle Solomzi and the dedication she has for the game. She does everything asked of her to the best of her ability. She powers on.
If you look at the Springboks within the team, they juggle a national career with playing for Boland while holding down a day job. How adaptable they must be…
“These girls are amazing but I must admit there are some that still give me some grey hairs,” Bosch quips.
Her children, however, have become used to sharing mom with the players, as Bosch describes her role as one that entails more than just being a manager.
“When Thomas and I got involved with the women’s team, my question to him was: ‘What do you want to achieve with these girls?’, and we unanimously decided that if we can touch one person’s life, by what we do, we have done our job. It’s a fantastic platform where we work with these players both on and off the field.
“From my side, I try to give guidance, counselling, and direction. Not many people utilise it in the way we are doing here. We view these players from a parental perspective, and as parents, you want to see your children grow.
“If you ask any of these players why they want to play for Boland, they will tell you that we are a family.
“So, I have a huge extended family. My children have had to learn to share mom and dad. But for them, it is easy because they also understand what we are trying to accomplish with these players.”
Still, Bosch admits the job can be a difficult ball to juggle at times, after deciding almost two years ago to leave the healthcare sector and take on a job with a British-based company, while also managing Sanlam Boland Dames.
“I decided to make a change, and I am now working for a UK-based company called Urang. It is remote work where I am the contracts coordinator for the whole business,” she explains.
“I must, however, add that my managerial role at Boland is in no way a glory-seeking one. This is a hard-working role, as I have to be there to ensure I help bring out the best in every individual player and also fulfil a supporting role to assist the coaches. For everyone out there who thinks it’s a glamorous thing, because you’re going to be on TV, that’s absolute hogwash.
“I am there, and I don’t mind it at all, to get my hands dirty, not that it is dirty work, because for me it is an absolute act of love. And I can tell you this relationship I have with them is one of trust, where the players have entrusted me with some of their deepest and darkest fears.”
Besides playing Mamma Manager for an entire team, Bosch’s love for women’s rugby has grown as she also helps develop the game, having founded her club team, Walker Bay, and the annual Hermanus Sevens tournament. The only known all-women’s sevens club tournament currently held in South Africa.