Libbie Janse van Rensburg is the first Springbok women’s player to achieve 100 Test points. Libbie Janse van Rensburg is the first Springbok women’s player to achieve 100 Test points. Picture: Andrew Cornaga BackpagePix
Cape Town — Players choosing to focus on the team rather than zooming in on their own goals and performances is common; you'll be hard pressed to find a professional player who doesn't say it's all about the team.
But even if Libbie Janse van Rensburg chose to go the other direction and gush over her own achievements, it would be easy to understand why.
The 28-year-old became the first Springbok women’s player to achieve 100 Test points, getting to that grand number in only 12 outings.
In their World Cup clash against Fiji on Sunday, she slotted two conversions and a penalty at the Waitakere Stadium in Auckland, with her 78th-minute penalty handing the South Africans a 17-14 lead in the game.
Fiji, however, hit back to deny Stanley Raubenheimer’s team their first win at the World Cup.
“Yes, that was heart-breaking, but one learns from these things,” said Janse van Rensburg about Fiji snatching the game.
“We really thought we pipped them, but they managed to score the try, so the win slipped away. We are learning and improving all the time and will be better next time we are in a similar position.
“I really believe this team is growing into something special and to be part of it means a lot to me.”
Janse van Rensburg, who made her debut against Kenya in Stellenbosch last year, credited the team for backing her when it comes to her contributions off the tee.
“It was great to have nailed that penalty to put us ahead for the first time, the squad really put a lot of trust in me when they called me up to take the kick,” she said.
“I did not think it was the greatest angle for me and the crowd were quite noisy while I went through my routine. But the trust the team showed me made me determined to kick that penalty. I want this team to do well, we have improved so much this year.”
South Africa will play England in the final game of their Pool C campaign on Sunday.
“We did our reviews – we did not always execute as Fiji managed to put us under a lot of pressure,” said Janse van Rensburg.
“But now the next challenge awaits, and they do not come bigger than England. We said we wanted to play the best teams in the world to grow. So now we are playing the best, this is what we wanted.”
The match against England will be last of the pool stage of the World Cup. The top eight teams will contest the knock-out stages and the bottom four teams will return to their respective countries.
• Hooker Lindelwa Gwala will not be considered for the England match due to injury.
IOL Sport