Breaking barriers: Tamsanqa Ncwana is coming for South African rugby’s last glass ceiling

Tamsanqa Ncwana grew up in the same township as Siya Kolisi. He has spent years helping young rugby players find their feet; now, he wants to become their agent, too.

Most South Africans know what a rugby agent does: they negotiate contracts, look after players, and ensure their clients are taken care of both on and off the field. What fewer people talk about openly, however, is the demographic make-up of those agents. The overwhelming majority of certified rugby agents operating in South Africa are white, and those of colour seem to regularly face obstacles in pursuit of this career goal. It is a conversation the sport has largely avoided.

Ncwana, fondly known as “T,” wants to be part of changing that.

Ncwana grew up in Zwide in the Eastern Cape, the same township as Springbok captain Siya Kolisi. The two have been friends since childhood, long before either found their way into professional rugby. Additionally, Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick grew up nearby in New Brighton, and the three men have remained close friends through everything that followed.

Ncwana eventually found his home in talent recruitment. He joined Roc Nation Sports International, the prominent global sports agency, as its Head of Recruitment in South Africa. His job is clearly defined: find the best young rugby talent in the country and bring them into the Roc Nation family.

He has been very good at it.

Ask anyone at Roc Nation about Tamsanqa, and they will tell you the same thing: he does not just find players. He looks after them. He mentors them. He stays with them when things get difficult. Stars like Aphelele Fassi and Jordan Hendrikse are better players and better people today partly because of Ncwana’s involvement; he spotted them early and stayed with them through the hard moments.

But there was always one limitation. Once Ncwana – and others of a similar background – found a player and built a relationship with them, he could not sign them himself. He had to pass them to a certified agent to finalise the deal. That is about to change.

GOING AFTER THE LICENSE IN A SPACE THAT HAS NOT CHANGED

Ncwana is filing his application to become a certified rugby agent. He will sit for the exam and complete the full process through the proper channels.

President of Roc Nation Sports International Michael Yormark is firmly behind him, but equally firm about one thing: Ncwana must earn this the right way.

“He’s got to go through the process and go through it the right way,” Yormark said in Cape Town on Wednesday. “But if he passes the exam, there is absolutely no reason he should not become a certified agent.”

Yormark has been open about the fact that the lack of diversity in South African rugby’s agency space caught him off guard. For Ncwana, however, it is not a surprise; it is simply the reality he has always worked within. He thinks about the young players coming up from townships like Zwide – players who deserve someone in their corner who genuinely understands where they come from.

“Some of the opportunities that I didn’t get, I felt like it would be nice for me to share what I didn’t get in my life,” Ncwana said. “Not only in sport, but also in life.”

NCWANA’S TRANSITION FROM RECRUITMENT TO REPRESENTATION

Once Ncwana holds that license, the process shifts entirely. He will recruit a player, build the relationship, and sign them himself. No handovers. No passing them along to someone else.

“Right now, T’s our head of recruitment, but he will also be a certified agent,” Yormark said. “Which means that when he recruits a player, he can then sign them to Roc Nation Sports International. He doesn’t have to hand that player off to somebody else.”

SA Rugby has not yet been approached for comment on the broader demographic makeup of the country’s certified agent pool. That context, however, sits firmly in the background of Ncwana’s journey, giving his application a weight that goes well beyond paperwork.

Ncwana himself keeps it simple. “I’m planning to grow with my career and get my license,” he said. “It’s exciting, you know.”

For communities like Zwide, it is more than exciting. It is long overdue.