WOMEN'S RUGBY
Leighton Koopman|Published
The Springbok Women face another massive test on Saturday when they take on fifth-ranked Ireland in the first of two Test matches, with an eye on strengthening their squad for the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Having already played 11 matches this season, including tough fixtures against highly ranked New Zealand and the USA, they will face the Irish for the first time since the 2006 Rugby World Cup and they are ready to embrace this WXV Global Series challenge.
The match will take place at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, with a 3pm kick-off, and the Bok Women’s co-coaches, Franzel September and Laurian Johannes-Haupt, have selected an exciting team ready to challenge their counterparts.
It’s another significant step for the team as they prepare to face a country ranked in the top five, having fronted up well to the Black Ferns in Soweto in September before eventually going down 52-20. Saturday’s encounter will show them exactly how far they still have to go, particularly as they look to improve their current world ranking of 10th.
More Tests accelerating the team’s growth
The Bok Women have made massive strides since former Irish international Lynne Cantwell, then SA Rugby’s Women’s Rugby High Performance Manager, joined the set-up in 2021. The governing body also invested heavily in women’s rugby, and it has paid massive dividends. After Cantwell’s departure, former Springbok assistant coach Swys de Bruin took on the role of high-performance coach.
Since then, the women’s programme has gone from strength to strength.
Johannes-Haupt credits this progress to the expansion of the Bok Women’s Test programme, saying the challenges posed by teams ranked both above and below them have significantly helped the team improve.
“The more we play, the better we become. In the past we played 8 Test matches a year maximum. Now we’re playing 13 Tests,” she said.
“We’re not just competing with teams that are ranked below us, we’re competing with higher-ranked teams now. So, that’s where our game is evolving to. To consistently play week in and week out, that was a new dynamic for us. That’s been the one big thing for us.
“The fact that we haven’t played Ireland in 20 years, just speaks to a new challenge, a clean slate. This is for us to step up and show where we really are ranked according to the world.”
Johannes-Haupt said the progress reflects the continued growth of women’s rugby in South Africa, with young players moving into the senior ranks and development structures strengthening. She added that the team’s unity and ability to compete at a higher level were also encouraging signs as they work towards being as well prepared as possible for 2029.
“I think this journey speaks to the evolution of the game and of Springbok Women’s rugby. If you look at a picture of the 2006 team, you’ll see players wearing jerseys that were far too big for them. That’s just one example of how far we’ve come, from those days to now holding press conferences.
“The growth has been phenomenal, and it’s special to witness the journey of everyone who has come through the ranks, leaving the jersey in a better position for the next person to take over and improve even further.
“With the game growing the way it is, it’s becoming an unstoppable force, and we don’t yet know what the pinnacle of this team will be. We’re preparing for 2029, but how blessed are we to experience this journey right now? Playing against a top-ranked team makes it even more special.
“Twenty years of hard work and sacrifice from everyone involved in women’s rugby have brought us to this point. It’s an incredibly proud moment, but it also speaks to the evolution of the game, which continues to demand more from us and bring more out of our players and coaches.
“Coaches have come and gone, but the foundation was there, and we’ve been blessed to be part of this pathway and to continue building on it. So, it’s really special.”
Ireland challenge South Africa’s progress
September said they knew the challenge over the next two weeks would not be an easy one, but they had prepared well during the past week.
“We’ve prayed for this opportunity to play against the higher-ranked teams, or the better-ranked teams, and now we’ve got it here in Cape Town. There’s no better venue to play at,” September said.
“The week went really well. We spoke about it as a coaching team after our third session, and there are lots of positives for us and good things we can take from training. The energy was really good, so we’re looking forward to the clash. The energy in the camp has been good. The non-playing squad also gave us some good pictures this week, so we’re happy.
“It’s been a collective effort from all 32 players this week, and up until now, we’re happy with how things have gone.”
September added that the 23-player squad had been selected with Ireland specifically in mind, explaining that team selections would vary from week to week depending on the opposition and the coaching staff’s analysis and preparations.