SA schools rugby and cricket representative Riley Norton is the ultimate all-rounder

Riley Norton of South Africa during the Men's U19 Tri-Series, 6th Youth ODI match between South Africa and Afghanistan at Old Edwardians CC on January 08, 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

31 Jan 2024

Riley Norton is currently the second-highest wicket taker for South Africa under-19 at the ongoing junior Cricket World Cup, but his talent extends to the rugby field too.

Herschelle Gibbs, Conrad Jantjes, Ruan de Swardt and now Riley Norton. These athletes are part of a rare group of talented sports people who have represented South Africa at schools level in both rugby and cricket.

Gibbs went on to play for the Proteas and Jantjes for the Springboks, while all-rounder De Swardt is in line to make his Proteas debut in New Zealand in the next two weeks.

In total, 15 schools athletes have accomplished the remarkable feat – 11 of them before the year 2000, with the achievement becoming increasingly difficult with the professionalism of sports programmes in schools in recent times.

Astonishingly, Norton – currently representing South Africa at the under-19 Cricket World Cup – did the double in 2023, as a 17-year-old, so barring injury or loss of form, he is likely to do it again in 2024.

Not only do Norton’s athletic exploits extend to both the oval and rectangular fields, he also covers both disciplines – as an aggressive fast-bowler as well as a hard-hitting lower order hitter – on the cricket field.

With so much on the 2024 Paul Roos Gimnasium head boy’s plate, an accommodating support system has helped him juggle the leather and oval balls.

Riley Norton of the Proteas during their U19 World Cup match against Scotland at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on 27 January 2024. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)

“I just think it’s about the support structures I have at school,” Norton told Daily Maverick. “They’ve been amazing with coaches communicating with one another.

“With playing both rugby and cricket there’s always a big pre-season… I rarely have a pre-season.

“There’s a big [rugby] pre-season now, especially at a school like Paul Roos which takes both of them quite seriously, especially the rugby, which starts during the cricket season.

“So, I think it’s just understanding which one is important and which ones I have to attend.

“But also making sure that the coaches understand what’s going on in that communication is always open and that the coaches between cricket and rugby can communicate with one another just to ensure everyone’s on the same page and everyone understands what’s going on because I do miss quite a lot of pre-season work in both.”

Riley Norton in the colours of Western Province at the 2023 Craven Week, in action against hosts South Western Districts at Outeniqua Park. (Photo: Shaun Roy / Gallo Images)

Taking inspiration

Norton is currently the second-highest wicket taker for South Africa (before the Super Six stage), with six scalps, in the under-19 Cricket World Cup, with only star fast bowler Kwena Maphaka having taken one more.

Norton, though, accumulated his wickets in one match fewer, having missed out on selection in South Africa’s 36-run loss to England in their second match.

South Africa’s blitzkrieg seven-wicket win over Scotland in their final group match secured their spot in the Super Six stage of the tournament with matches against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.

The first and only time South Africa clinched an under-19 World Cup trophy was in Dubai in 2014 when a certain Kagiso Rabada led the way with the ball for the country. Unsurprisingly, Rabada is someone young Norton idolises.

“For cricket, it’s definitely Kagiso Rabada, he’s my hero,” Norton said. “I have the same shirt number as him – 25.

“He’s a big role model that I look up to and I just love to watch [bowl]. I would love to have his attributes.”

In rugby, the towering 18-year-old doubles as lock forward and a blindside flanker, similar to his rugby hero, Pieter-Steph du Toit. “His work rate and how physical he is on the field and just the presence he has on the field is definitely something I strive to do,” Norton said.

Having represented Boland and Western Province in cricket and Western Province in rugby throughout his high school journey, Norton acknowledged that nothing compares to donning national clothing.

“When you put on that jersey, you realise that you’re not playing for yourself anymore,” he said. “You’re playing for the country, you’re playing for the different cultures, the diverse land.

“It gives you so much more energy you can carry on going, you can go through the tough times because you know what you’re representing and you know what’s backing you and behind you; that’s why I would never ever want to play for anyone else other than South Africa.”

Riley Norton bats for South Africa against Afghanistan during the U19 Tri-Series at Old Edwardians Cricket Club in Johannesburg on 8 January 2024. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

Choices, choices…

Both rugby and cricket have been a big part of Norton’s life since he can remember. He owes his obsession with sports to his father Chris, who represented Western Province at Currie Cup level, as well as his two older brothers.

“It’s all that we speak about,” he said about conversations at home. “Mostly my mom gets irritated at the dinner table because it’s just sport, sport sport.

“[It’s] definitely what I want to do with my life, it’s my passion, it’s what I love to do.

“That’s what I love to do in the mornings when I wake up, it’s all about just playing sport and enjoying it and creating memories on the field, but it’s definitely to do with my family.”

At school, Norton has been privileged enough to play both sports, but as he enters his final year at Paul Roos this year, the time to make a decision on which sport to pursue ticks closer.

“Sometimes you think you’ve made up your mind but then you go back into the rugby season and then you say no, I want to play rugby, and then you get back into summer then you play cricket and then you want to play cricket,” Norton said.

“I haven’t made a decision yet because it’s such a hard decision to make. I love both and when I’m in season I want to play that one.

“It’s tough. I know I’m definitely going to have to make a decision this year.

“I’m just trying to take it day by day and then hopefully I’ll eventually realise what I want to do, but for the moment I just want to play both sports every day.

“[Once I] get the Cricket World Cup out of the way and then, from there I can start looking at maybe what decision I want to make. But for now, I love them the same.”

The decision ultimately lies with Norton on his future sporting career, although he continually accepts advice from his family members.

While most dream of excelling at one sport, Norton’s natural talent and work ethic have made him a world-class junior athlete in two. Either decision he makes will strengthen South African sport, it’s just whether Cricket South Africa or the South African Rugby Union is the direct beneficiary of his talents. DM

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Taking inspiration

Choices, choices…