Springbok women leave their mark during Women's Rugby World Cup

The Springbok Women emphatically announced themselves at the Women’s Rugby World Cup on Sunday, storming to a record-breaking 66-6 victory over Brazil in Northampton to seize the top spot in Pool D.

It was the perfect start for head coach Swys de Bruin, whose side scored ten tries in a dominant display at Franklin’s Gardens. The result secured South Africa the only try bonus point in Pool D, with France failing to score four tries in their 24-0 win over Italy a day earlier.

Speaking after the match, De Bruin could not hide his satisfaction with the performance.

“We wanted a strong start to the tournament and got that, so well done to the players,” he said. “The starting team laid the perfect foundation, and the bench finished strong, so what a delightful team performance. We have to reset now, and all our focus will move to Italy.”

The Bok Women’s pack outmuscled Brazil up front, particularly in the scrums, while the backs capitalised on every opportunity with precision finishing. Importantly, South Africa kept their defensive line intact, preventing Brazil from crossing the tryline.

“It was also pleasing that we did not concede any tries,” De Bruin added. “Look, Brazil is the lowest-ranked team in the tournament and played at this level for the first time, but we still had to perform well to score all those points. We delivered an 80-minute effort, and I cannot fault the commitment.”

Despite the convincing win, De Bruin was quick to highlight areas that require improvement before next Sunday’s clash with Italy in York.

“We still dropped balls, made poor passes and conceded too many penalties due to a lack of discipline – all things we must fix if we want to be effective against Italy,” he said. “Our ball protection at times was not up to standard, and we need to sharpen our breakdown work. But we have good momentum now and will use that in our preparation this week.”

Captain Nolusindiso Booi echoed her coach’s sentiments, praising her team’s resilience and work ethic.

“We really played for 80 minutes,” Booi said. “There was a time early in the first half where we lost a little bit of structure, but the team came back well. The replacements also did what was expected. Winning a game at the World Cup in such a manner is something I am proud of as captain.”

Booi emphasised the importance of the upcoming match against Italy, acknowledging that a win would all but secure their place in the quarter-finals.

“We are not getting ahead of ourselves,” she said. “They have been in the top ten in the world rankings for a long time and will also be hurting after their defeat to France. We will have to be at our best.”

With plans for the Italy clash already in motion, Booi said the squad has complete faith in the coaching staff.

“The coaches got it spot-on for the Brazil game, so we have full confidence in what they will prepare for us,” she explained. “Our responsibility now is to rest and recover properly so that we are ready for the week ahead.”

The Springbok Women will travel to York on Monday, carrying with them not only momentum but a growing belief that they can make a serious impact at this year’s World Cup.