Rebecca Joy Adams has never walked the easy road. First, she carved out her name as a professional footballer, thriving in a sport where women are still fighting for recognition and opportunity. Then, instead of settling into comfort, she made the audacious leap to rugby, a move that demanded a rebuilt body, a reimagined skill set, and an unshakable belief in her ability to adapt.

Today, Adams is reaping the rewards of that risk. Turning out for Elsies River United, a community-rooted side in Cape Town’s northern suburbs, she helped the team clinch the 2025 Western Province Women’s Rugby Super League B title. For Elsies River United, it is a triumph that underscores the club’s growing stature in provincial rugby. For Adams, it is a career-defining milestone that adds a new layer to her identity as a multi-sport athlete.

“It’s a big relief,” Adams says of the title. “It was nerve-wracking as we waited for the final scores, but I’m happy and proud of what we’ve done this season. We worked tirelessly to get these results.”

The victory is more than a medal; it is the culmination of an extraordinary transformation. Adams remembers vividly what it was like to swap football boots for rugby studs. “It was a lot of physicality, a lot of strength. In the beginning, I had to transform everything about my body and my game. I was new, but I made sure they remembered me.”

That transformation was not cosmetic—it was structural. She gained almost ten kilograms of muscle to handle the demands of contact rugby. “When I started rugby, I was small and skinny, barely weighing 50 kg. Mentally, I knew everyone was ahead of me, so I trained every day to catch up.”

Yet Adams never left football behind. The skills honed on the pitch have been invaluable on the rugby field. “Playing on the wing in football gave me footwork and fast movement. In rugby, that same speed carried over and became an asset as a backline player.” Football shaped her athletic instincts; rugby sharpened them into weapons. Together, they make her a rare hybrid, an athlete who draws strength from two sporting cultures.

The emotional weight of her first rugby title is clear. “It’s special—I can’t even describe it. We worked hard for this, and I think it shows that when you truly want something, you will achieve success regardless of the circumstances.”

But Adams’ story is not simply about crossing codes. It is about proving that women in sport can reinvent themselves without discarding their past. Football is still part of her identity; rugby has become part of her destiny. The two coexist, each enriching the other.

For young women in South Africa, Adams hopes her journey is a mirror of possibility. “Sometimes a journey ends, but that opens new opportunities and challenges. When one door closes, another opens. Even when you think you cannot go any further, you can. I hope this journey encourages more girls.”

The lessons she has learned through rugby extend far beyond the game. “It’s okay to start over and to learn a new skill, even after all these years. There’s space for us all, and when an opportunity comes, we must grab it and do our best with what we’ve been given.”

Looking ahead, Adams is not limiting her ambitions. Rugby has given her a platform to pursue provincial and national honours, while football remains a calling she is not ready to silence. “It will be phenomenal to win more, but I’m trusting the process and where it will take me.”

Rebecca Adams embodies the spirit of duality, an athlete unbound by one definition, one sport, or one trajectory. Football gave her speed and vision. Rugby gave her strength and resilience. Together, they tell the story of a South African woman who refuses to shrink her dreams to fit expectations. Her triumph with Elsies River United is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of a legacy. One that straddles codes, inspires communities, and proves that success is a game of courage, not compromise.