SA-born rugby star helps beat the Boks

South African-born rugby player Sarah Levy scored a hat-trick as the Barbarians trounced the Springboks 60-5 at Twickenham in London. A record crowd for women’s rugby – 29 581 spectators – attended the 27 November match.

The Barbarians, an invitational all-star side known as the Baa-Baas, went into half time 38-0 up with winger Levy having crossed the whitewash twice. The number 11 grabbed her third try after the break to seal the biggest win for the Barbarians women’s team since its first match in November 2017.

“I was so honoured to play with the Baa-Baas, and to play against my birth country makes it even more special,” Levy told the SA Jewish Report. “I’ve never played against a South African team, and to play against them with the Barbarians makes this experience even more special.”

Levy, who plays for the New York Rugby Club, the oldest rugby club in the United States, was born in Cape Town to a South African father and an American mother. When she was two years old, her family made aliyah to Israel. A couple of years later, they moved to San Diego in California, where she grew up.

Her father Denis and uncles Rob, Nelson, and Peter all played rugby. By being selected to represent the Barbarians, she has now joined her great-grandfather, Louis Babrow, as a life member of the famous club. In 1931, Babrow become one of the first Jews to play for the Springboks. The first Jewish Springbok was his cousin Morris Zimmerman. A medical doctor and lifelong opponent of apartheid, Babrow played for the Baa-Baas in England before going to fight in World War II.

The Baa-Baas roll of honour reads like a who’s who of the history of rugby, featuring famous names like Jonah Lomu, Francois Pienaar, and Bryan Habana.

Receiving an invitation to don the club’s famous black and white hooped jersey is a source of enormous pride to players.

Levy said it was “unreal to play with so many legends” in the Barbarians women’s team, which consists of over 700 international caps across nine nations. The New York Rugby Club player was one of four United States-based players in the squad, which included World Cup winners, current and former international captains, and even someone like Irish prop Lindsay Peat, who has played rugby, basketball, and Gaelic football.

“It’s been a fun training environment, and everyone’s very supportive,” said Levy. “It’s nice to play with new people and have a different game plan from what I’ve been doing with the US team. These connections I’m making are so special.”

Levy got into rugby after having signed up for every sport at her school’s club fair. She received a rugby email, saying that practise was in two days’ time before a tournament that weekend, and another girl convinced her to take part.

“She went from strength to strength, and made progress going up the ranks. Two years ago, she was selected to represent the United States at rugby,” said Denis.

After taking up rugby, most of Levy’s conversations with her dad were about the game. “He would tell me all about Louis’ playing days, and he gave me newspaper clippings and photos and showed me YouTube clips,” Levy told SA Rugby magazine. “That made me want to play even more. I knew I have a connection to South Africa. I always had a Springbok jersey, but I never realised the meaning behind it. Suddenly, when I started playing rugby and reading about rugby, it meant so much more. It made me feel more connected to South Africa, and Grandpa Louis and all the other men in my family who have played.”

Levy keeps up to date with everything that’s going on in South Africa, including the economy and politics. “My dad once brought me a pair of shoelaces with a South African flag on them,” she told the magazine. “I had them in my cleats all through senior year at college. My dad’s brother ended up moving to the same city as us, and we braai all the time.”

Her family members living in the US are mostly girls, and they all played soccer at school. “Our parents never thought about us playing rugby, but I wish I had started playing early because I love it so much,” she told the magazine. “It’s cool to see that I can do what my uncles and granddad used to do. My ouma sent me a newspaper clipping of her playing in a touch game with other nurses.”

Levy trains full-time with the US seven-a-side team, a hopeful for the next Olympics. “I go in four days a week for usually three sessions a day,” she said. “This consists of two rugby sessions and a weightlifting or speed session.” This season, she got selected to play for the 15s in a northern-hemisphere series against England and Ireland.

“Rugby is a very rapidly growing sport in America, especially at universities,” said Denis. “It’s not as big as in England and Ireland, but it’s growing very fast.”

Levy, a Bachelor of Science graduate studying physiotherapy at the University of California, would “love to have the honour” of being selected for a World Cup or Olympics. “I would also like for the US team to earn a medal in those events someday,” she said.

Levy has great appreciation for her roots. “I love the Jewish community, and what it provided for me growing up.”