Fearless is an excellent way to describe Tracey Mthunzi when she flies out to France next week to play two tournaments with the Delta Drone TuksWomensRugby Sevens team. 

She has yet to execute a tackle or sidestep an opponent in an official sevens game. It doesn't faze the former Tuks Varsity Netball and Gauteng Jaguars player too much. 

"I never thought there would be a day that I would say I am off to France to play sevens rugby. I would be lying if I said I am not a tiny bit scared, but my being scared has more to do with doing the unknown. You rarely get to do something new on such a big scale. I am going to embrace the moment. The worst that could happen is that I will have the best time of my life."

According to Mthunzi, she has decided to change sporting codes because she felt like doing something new. 

"I had to make a few mindset changes going from netball to rugby. The only thing seemingly the same in netball and sevens rugby is the number of players on the field. Both require seven.

"The biggest thing was to get used to the amount of running. In netball, there is never really a moment in which you stand still. So I thought it would be a breeze to run the length of a rugby field. The first time I tried, I got a rude awakening. The 22-meter line was much further than I thought. 

"Rugby requires a different fitness level because you use other muscles. It means I had to adapt my gym training. I also had to adjust my catching and throwing techniques from a round ball to an oval ball. Luckily, the one thing I have learned at Tuks netball is to adapt to what is required on the field. 

"At the moment, I am playing on the wing. If I am not mistaken, that is number 14 or 12."

Mthunzi was part of the TuksNetball and Jaguars teams that won the 2019 Varsity Netball and Telkom Netball League titles respectively. In 2021, she played a crucial role for TuksNetball in winning the USSA Netball Championships with a 100% winning run.

When asked how she feels about the prospect of being tackled or going for the big hit, Mthunzi's response was to laugh spontaneously. 

"I was a bit scared until I spoke to Marlize de Bruin, the former Tuks netball player now playing Springbok Sevens & signed as a contracted player of Bulls Daises. When I asked her if it was not sore when she got tackled, she said, " No, man, you just brace it, and then you will be fine. A teammate said I would be fine once I had gone down in a tackle and executed my first big hit."

When not studying for her BComHons in Taxation or honing her newfound rugby skills, Mthunzi loves hanging out with friends.

"I love laughing and think I have the funniest friends on earth. I also love reading a book or two, especially since I can talk for ages. Reading forces me to be quiet," the TuksWomensRugby Sevens player jokes. 

The Delta Drone TuksWomensRugby Sevens will first play the Centrales Sevens from 17 to 18 May in France. Tuks won the tournament in 2018 and 2022. Their second tournament is in Portugal.