South Africa has a knack of producing world-class loose forwards, and Lusanda Dumke was no exception to that unofficial rule. As a powerful ball-carrying flank, Lusanda Dumke could knock back any opponent on the rugby field, but she sadly couldn’t beat an aggressive and rare form of gastric cancer. The Blue Bulls Company confirmed their star captain, who led the club to three consecutive Women’s Premier League titles from 2023–2025, has died.
She was only 28. Beyond her franchise success, Dumke was a stalwart of the national team, earning 33 Test caps for the Springbok Women and captaining the national side on three occasions. Thando Manana, head of high performance and special projects at the Blue Bulls Company, offered a tribute to the late captain.
“Lusanda was more than a captain; she was the heartbeat of our Daisies team and a true inspiration to everyone at the Bulls and in South African sport. To achieve what she did by the age of 28, leading a team to a three-peat and captaining her country, is simply phenomenal,” he said. “Her fight against cancer mirrored her toughness on the field; she fought till the end.
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Her legacy of resilience and success will forever define this era of women’s rugby in South Africa. We have lost a precious, rare gem, and our thoughts are with her family.” Dumke was one of the pioneers of women’s rugby in this country, and although she didn’t make the Springbok Women’s 2025 World Cup squad because of her ill health, she paved the way for a new generation. Coach Swys de Bruin knew he had lost an outstanding player and leader before the World Cup.
“Lusanda has been pivotal for us, but we now wish her the best as she battles her medical condition,” De Bruin said in August. “Her absence will have an impact, but at the same time, the players going to the Rugby World Cup will know that playing for your country while you are fit and strong is indeed a privilege.” Dumke learnt to play the game in the Eastern Cape, and endured unimaginable hardship as a child but character and guile always defined the Cape Town-born player.
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