Springbok Women show grit in narrow loss to world No.2 Canada, eye Black Ferns XV next

The Springbok Women are currently in a phase of tweaking and fine-tuning their preparations. They will assemble in Cape Town next Sunday, July 20, to prepare for two clashes against the Black Ferns XV at Athlone Stadium (July 26 and August 2).

In fact Women’s rugby all around the world is in preparation mode with teams lining up opposition that will test them in areas where they need to up their game.

Canada chose to head over to face the Springbok Women because of the power and aggression of the Boks.

Canada head coach Kevin Rouet said that they indeed experienced what they came for, in buckets. “We came to South Africa to be challenged in the scrum, maul and to face their physicality. South Africa showed us that in these two games.” 

The coach was pleased that his team could be exposed to Bok brutality, saying that it would toughen up the squad. “We were very happy to have been able to give all 32 players who came on tour the opportunity to play in these two games,” Rouet said.

Oh so close

Meanwhile, Springbok Women’s performance coach Swys de Bruin said he had started weighing up the time left and what it would mean if his team could close the deficit to just seven points – and possibly even level the score against Canada.

Speaking after his side's defeat at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, he admitted that sadly, two defensive lapses saw the North American side close out the game with two late tries.

The world No.2 team, Canada, eventually won by 33-5, but with 10 minutes left on the clock, the Bok Women had played out of their skins and were still very much in the game at 19-5.

“I was looking at the clock and what our next score would mean,” said De Bruin afterwards.

“We then launched two great attacks and came metres from their line, but we lacked the composure to get that vital score and instead, they got this one over the line.”

De Bruin said the growth the team has shown over the last two weeks against the second ranked team in the world was commendable and made him a proud coach.

“I will be the first one to admit that we are far from the finished product, but the improvement was real and we were in this match for a long time,” said De Bruin.

“We only scored once, but had so many other opportunities and that was very pleasing. Those are all fixable errors. We needed these two Test matches to see where we are, and I am very happy with the report card thus far.

Canada prove their potency

Canada, meanwhile, managed to tick other boxes.

Five different try scorers got over the line for the visitors in the game, proving the potency of their attack both from the pack and the backline. 

Brittany Kassil opened the scoring with her first international try, followed by hooker Gillian Boag, who added a second try, the fourth of her career, before the end of the first half. 

Norsten’s try was the first of three in the second half. Canada captain Tyson Beukeboom crossed the line in the 74th minute, recording her 15th try in her 76th appearance for Canada. Starting winger Krissy Scurfield capped off the scoring Canada’s final try in the 78th minute. 

For the Boks to keep them at bay for so long, is definitely a feather in the cap of the hosts.

De Bruin hinted that the defeat would not deflate his team. Instead, it would serve as fuel to power them to bigger things later on.

Bok Women's attitude 'Amazing'

Bok Women captain Nolusindiso Booi said the attitude of her team was a real treat: “We never stopped trying, we never stopped playing. Our coaches prepared us very well for this and we responded as best we could. It was also pleasing to see the crowds come early for our match. Sadly, we could not secure them the win, but we did them proud, that I know.”

Booi, who is in line to be selected for her fourth Rugby World Cup, also complimented Canada: “They were really composed when it mattered and closed out the game in style. One could see why they are ranked where they are. We are not there yet, but I can honestly say that we are on track with our World Cup prep.”

The SA coach was equally positive. “We will regroup in a week and then start focusing on the Black Ferns XV matches and tweak and fine tune as we close our preparation for the World Cup,” said De Bruin. “We wanted to play the best and I am happy with the outcomes so far. 

“Make no mistake, this Canadian team is very, very good and we took them to the wire today.”