FORWARD DOMINANCE: Bok Women face stern Ireland challenge in first clash in two decades

The Springbok Women will look to their set-piece strength and forward dominance to overpower fifth-ranked Ireland in the first of two Tests at Cape Town’s Athlone Stadium on 24 October, with the second Test taking place on 31 October.

However, injuries and inconsistent discipline may undermine their efforts against an Irish side fresh from two wins against Japan and a narrow defeat to the USA.

The double-header, which concludes South Africa’s (SA) participation in the WXV Global Series, marks the first time the sides will meet in 20 years, having played each other only once before.

Similarly, the Springbok Women also sit on two wins and one loss in the series. They got off to a shaky start losing 50-19 to Wales on 18 September, with handling errors and often a disconnect between the forwards and backs being exposed.

They came back stronger the following week with a 41-29 victory over eighth-ranked Italy, before shutting out Spain 20-0.

But Ireland will pose a stern test, potentially rivalling the challenge South Africa faced against the Black Ferns a few weeks ago. Like the Springbok Women, Ireland reached the quarter-finals of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, and they finished third in this year’s Women’s Six Nations.

Global series aims to raise the standards

However, regular fixtures against stronger teams is crucial if the Springbok Women want to build on their recent success from the World Cup and close the gap on the world’s leading sides, according to the chief executive of the South African Rugby Union, Rian Oberholzer.

That is part of the thinking behind the WXV Global Series, which is to give women’s national teams a more consistent schedule of international rugby and create opportunities for the game to grow.

The series builds on the original WXV competition, introduced in 2023. Across the 2026-2028 cycle, more than 100 international matches are planned in a concerted effort to provide greater certainty around fixtures and raise competitive standards, particularly with the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup in mind.

For almost a century there was no women’s rugby, and even though it has been played by enthusiastic amateurs for decades, when it comes to the professional side of the sport, particularly at 15s level, there is a blank canvas to plan the future, particularly as the women’s game has grown rapidly over the past decade.

This structure comes as women’s sport attracts growing audiences and investment, and sustaining that momentum also requires meaningful competition. 

The Springbok Women have already shown they can compete against higher-ranked opposition after reaching the quarter-finals of the 2025 Rugby World Cup, and now sit 10th in the world rankings.

In addition to besting Italy, the green machine also beat the higher-ranked USA Eagles in July. They ended up levelling the series after a loss in the second Test, but it highlighted how Tests against higher-ranked opponents aid in measuring progress as well as exposing areas for improvement that they otherwise would not have seen against so-called weaker sides.

“It’s imperative for our women to play against better-ranked teams than themselves, and the two games against Ireland provides them with that opportunity,” said Oberholzer.

“The Irish have a very strong women’s programme, and they will provide a stern test to the Bok Women, and along with the Black Ferns of New Zealand will probably be their strongest opposition this year.”

Injury setbacks 

The Springbok Women may nevertheless be stifled after three key players were ruled out due to injury over the course of the series.

Most recently, stalwart Babalwa Latsha was ruled out of the series due to an ankle injury. As a result, Sizophila Solontsi will take over the Springbok Women captaincy duties for the final two Tests against Ireland.

The backline has also taken a hit, with both Libbie Janse van Rensburg and Ayanda Malinga ruled out.

Janse van Rensburg sustained an ankle injury against Italy, while Malinga suffered a knee injury in that brutal loss against Wales.

While there were slivers of hope that Nadine Roos might return, the playmaker has not been included. Roos sustained a serious knee injury during the Sevens season earlier this year and has not donned a 15s jersey at all this year for the Boks. 

Anacadia Minnaar and Insaaf Levy have instead been included in the training squad to bolster the group for the Tests. 

Otherwise, the team remains relatively settled, with the official squad being announced tomorrow, 22 October.

Vainah Ubisi, Logan Welman, Lindelwa Gwala and Catha Jacobs will be key in the forward pack, while the belligerent hybrid centre Aphiwe Ngwevu will serve as key link between the backs and forwards.

Despite the loss of Janse van Rensburg and Malinga, the backline still features familiar faces, including Byrhandré Dolf, Alichia Arries and Jakkie Cilliers.

“We opted for continuity as we have good momentum from the last couple of matches on tour, hence the call to stay with the same group of players,” said co-coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt.  

“Anacadia could unfortunately not travel to Europe, but we are happy to have her back, while we also want to bring Insaaf closer to the action and tap into her skill set. 

“Ireland are not the fifth-ranked team in the world for nothing – they will really test us.” 

SA’s set-piece strength, particularly its scrum and driving mauls, could prove decisive. Johannes-Haupt has described the driving maul as a “potent weapon”, and the Springbok Women will need to make the most of it against a well-ranked opponent.

But execution will be just as important. If SA can maintain discipline, particularly focusing on limiting handling errors, and avoid a nervous start, they will give themselves a chance of securing a result against Ireland. DM