Ayanda Malinga’s ability to score tries from seemingly hopeless positions on the field made her a first choice on the wing for both the Springbok Women and Springbok Women’s Sevens squads. Blessed with real acceleration, the former track athlete who attended the University of Johannesburg on an athletic scholarship, also has a mean hand-off and added a wicked sidestep to her array of attacking weapons. She represented the SA squad that made a historic first appearance at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, and in 2025 scored twice against Brazil and once against Italy at the Women's Rugby World Cup in England.