Ryan Swano
Sports Physiotherapist Rene Naylor joined the Bok camp in 2008 and has since then played a crucial role in the South African Rugby Team’s success in numerous tests and tournaments with.
Following the Springboks 45-12 victory against Wales over the weekend, Rene Naylor announced that it was her last Springbok test match as part of the South African Rugby Management Team.
Fondly known as Player 24, Rene Naylor is also a veteran of Four World Cup Tournaments having won two gold medals helping the Bokke lift the trophy on two occasions in 2019 and 2023.
Rene Naylor (51) grew up in Belhar on the Cape Flats where she attended school at Excelsior Senior Secondary School. She went on to qualify with a B.Sc in Physiotherapy from the University of Western Cape, and an MPhil in Sports Physiotherapy from the University of Cape Town. She also has a post graduate certificate in Orthopaedic ManipulativeTherapy.
Between her traveling the world as Bok Player 24, the mother of a 10-year-old son also runs a physiotherapy practice in Cape Town.
For over a quarter of a century, her practice has worked almost exclusively with rugby players from amateur to elite level.
Ground Breaking Injury Prevention Program
The Springboks’ winning the Rugby World Cup both in Japan in 2019 & France in 2023 can be attributed to a number of factor including the role played by the physiotherapy team.
Their groundbreaking injury prevention program aims to keep the players off the medical table through injury prevention. She has spent many years developing an injury risk profiling system for SA rugby players which includes an intervention component. The musculoskeletal tests used to develop an injury risk profile of a player is available globally on the BOKSMART programme.
Challenging The Norm
Owing to her humble beginnings from Belhar, Cape Town, the notion of “challenging the norm” is one that has never been foreign to Rene. Her vision to bridge the gap of injury management and prevention between professional and amateur rugby teams, has seen her as being regarded as one of the foremost global practitioners in sports physiotherapy.
In a career that has seen Rene take position as part of Springbok management team boasting the highest staff compliment made up of women seen at a Rugby World Cup tournament. Her dedication to women empowerment and advancing sports injury prevention remains her primary focus.
Her professional contribution to the Springbok & SA Rugby as a whole demonstrates to girls and boys from all walks of South African life that they too could aspire to be on that world stage and achieve that dream.
An Holistic Professional
Rene Naylor considers herself to be a Holistic Professional. Aside from her physiotherapy practice, Rene runs Academic Programs as a Lecturer, is a sought-after Motivational Speaking, an Advocate of Women in Sport, runs Online Fitness Video Productions and has several Corporate Engagements.
Rene has also on a number of occasions received some prestigious awards in recognition for her achievements. These include the Ministerial Recognition Award for outstanding women in their field at the Momentum Gsport Awards (2020) and the SASMA Honorary Award for outstanding contribution in Sport Medicine (2018).
The now retired Springbok Player 24 has not revealed what her next career move will be.
However this writer, having witnessed her work ethic during her days at high school will venture to say that Rene Naylor, apart from her Physiotherapy Practice in Cape Town, is far from done having an impact on South African Society, South African Sports or the whole world for that matter.
