Springbok Women kick off new World Cup cycle with high-level USA Tests

THE SPRINGBOK Women’s new Rugby World Cup cycle will begin with a clear shift in approach, as they line up two home Tests against the USA in July — a level of opposition and exposure that was largely absent in previous campaigns.

South Africa will host the USA in a historic two-Test series in Johannesburg and Pretoria, marking the first time the teams meet on South African soil. The matches will be played as double headers alongside the Springboks’ Nations Championship fixtures against England and Scotland.

The Tests are scheduled for Ellis Park on Saturday, July 4, and Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, July 11, with the Springbok Women opening the day’s programme on both occasions.

A deliberate change in preparation

Springbok Women head coach Swys de Bruin said the fixtures reflect a deliberate effort to test the team against leading nations early in the new cycle.

“Not only will we play two double headers with the Springboks, which is already massive for us, but it falls in line with our objective to play as many top 10 teams as possible in the new World Cup cycle,” said De Bruin.

“Our ambitions for the next Women’s Rugby World Cup in Australia are well documented by now, and these two Tests will be a brilliant start towards that goal.”

The USA are currently ranked eighth in the world, while South Africa sit 10th — their highest-ever ranking — following the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, where the Springbok Women reached the quarter-finals for the first time.

Learning from teams who play elite rugby regularly

De Bruin pointed to the USA’s regular exposure to elite competition as a key benefit of the series.

“The USA play in the Pacific Four Series every year, exposing them to the high intensity rugby of opponents Canada, New Zealand and Australia, a luxury we did not have in previous years,” he said.

“But thanks to World Rugby’s new format of the top 12 ranked sides playing each other and SA Rugby’s commitment to make these happen, these objectives can now become a reality.”

The teams last met in March 2024, when the USA won 38-17 in London.

Mutual benefit for both teams

USA Women Eagles General Manager of High Performance Tamara Sheppard welcomed the opportunity to tour South Africa.

“Touring South Africa is a great opportunity for us to keep growing and developing against a Rugby World Cup quarter-final team,” said Sheppard.

“We’re excited to embrace the challenge to play in front of some of the passionate rugby fans in the world, and it will be an incredible experience for this developing Eagles group to test ourselves across the two Test matches.”

The USA were eliminated at the pool stage of the 2025 World Cup, while South Africa were knocked out by New Zealand in the quarter-finals.

Broader exposure across age groups

SA Rugby also confirmed two matches between the Junior Springbok Women and their USA Under-20 counterparts on July 18 and 25 in the Cape Town region. The American teams will be based at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport for the duration of their tour.