Former Blue Bulls Daisies and Springbok Women’s captain, who has been battling gastric cancer for some time, has passed away aged 29.
The sad news of the loose forward’s passing away was confirmed by the Blue Bulls on Tuesday morning. Dumke ditched rugby in August this year because of ill health.
The 33-Test Dumke captained the Daisies until she was struck by cancer, which made it impossible for her to continue with her rugby career.
“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,” Thando Manana, Bulls head of high performance and special projects, said.
“To achieve what she did, leading a team to a three-peat and captaining her country, is simply phenomenal. Her fight against cancer mirrored her toughness on the field, she fought till the end. 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 is a previous winner of the SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year award. She also won the 2022 Sports Star of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year gongs at the Eastern Cape Sport and Recreation Achievers awards ceremony.
