'They are the big dogs, we are the underdogs. A miracle can happen'

"Please, tin my boy switch jerseys pinch you? He speaks truthful highly of you, and it would beryllium his dream."

Number 8 Aseza Hele received nan connection connected societal media earlier South Africa played their last excavation crippled astatine nan Women's Rugby World Cup against France.

The 30-year-old struggled to comprehend why a young boy from England wanted nan garment of personification from nan Eastern Cape of South Africa.

A hat-trick of tries against Brazil, followed by different people successful a triumph complete Italy that sent South Africa's women into nan World Cup quarter-finals for nan first time, was why.

And Hele, a destructive runner who has been 1 of nan stars of nan tournament, was happy to oblige.

"When we vanished playing [against France], I saw a large motion saying, 'Hele, tin I switch shirts pinch you?'" Hele told BBC Sport.

"I asked him to travel through, and I said I'd meet him astatine nan gross erstwhile I came out.

"I didn't switch pinch immoderate of nan French girls because I had kept my garment for him. And erstwhile I sewage there, he was waiting and smiling. That really warmed my heart. I thought 'Aseza, you are doing good'.

"I've inspired young boys, not conscionable girls. It warmed my bosom to make someone's dream travel true."

Once Hele vanished that sentence, nan tears started.

That infinitesimal successful Northampton signified really acold not only Hele has come, but South African women's rugby arsenic a whole.

Hele grew up successful nan aforesaid neighbourhood successful Port Elizabeth arsenic nan Springboks' two-time World Cup-winning men's skipper Siya Kolisi.

A spot she described arsenic 1 wherever a batch of "deep, heavy things" happen.

Raised by her grandmother, Hele only started playing rugby successful 2014, aft joining a training convention arsenic a measurement to do immoderate further moving to enactment fresh for netball.

An wounded meant an other subordinate was needed, and Hele was told that immoderate happens, "just spell forward". She hasn't looked backmost since.

A first Springbok headdress came 5 years later, followed by her first World Cup quality successful 2022.

"Rugby has changed my life. I americium nan personification I americium coming because of wherever I came from and nan choices I made," she added.

"Now, I'm capable to provender my family because of rugby. I person my car because of rugby. My first formation was because of rugby.

"I didn't moreover dream of this, and now I'm playing pinch nan large dogs, and I americium nan underdog."

Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final: New Zealand v South Africa

Watch unrecorded connected BBC Two & iPlayer from 12:30 BST

The women's squad lacks nan aforesaid subordinate pool, investment, and infrastructure arsenic nan men's broadside successful South Africa.

They are seldom favourites, dissimilar nan four-time world champion Springboks.

Siya Kolisi regularly attends Springbok Women matches and training sessions, pinch his plea connected societal media for others to subordinate him astatine WXV2 successful Cape Town past twelvemonth becoming a standout moment, external successful nan maturation of nan women's crippled successful South Africa.

A thrilling triumph complete Italy successful York made history for nan women's team, but nan activity Kolisi has done down nan scenes has not gone unnoticed.

"He's nan warmest and nicest personification ever. He cares astir america and wants america to person what they have," erstwhile Harlequins number 8 Hele said.

"What he has, he likes to share. He's sharing nan emotion from his family pinch america truthful we tin do well.

"His support has been monolithic for us. People came because he called them retired connected societal media.

"I don't cognize really we tin convey him, he has done truthful overmuch for us. From nan bottommost of our hearts, we emotion and admit him truthful much."

Ranked 10th successful nan world, South Africa look world champions New Zealand successful Exeter connected Saturday.

As underdog stories go, it doesn't get overmuch tougher.

The Black Ferns travel into nan crippled disconnected an awesome 40-0 triumph complete Ireland and are eyeing a 3rd consecutive World Cup.

But Hele has already gone from moving arsenic a cashier to playing astatine a Rugby World Cup - successful her eyes, thing is possible.

"The only extremity we had arsenic a squad was to make nan quarters, truthful astatine slightest we ticked that box," she added.

"We didn't neglect our group aliases ourselves, and we made ourselves proud, that is nan astir important thing.

"They are nan large dogs, and we are nan underdogs. Anything tin happen. A occurrence tin happen."