Final tweaks aside, a positive result will be massively important for the Springbok Women when they take on the Black Ferns XV at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday, as this will be their final match before the Rugby World Cup starts in England next month.
They were caught napping at times and were outplayed at others, but the Springbok Women resumed their training on Monday with renewed energy as they prepare to take on New Zealand’s Black Ferns XV for a second time this weekend.
The Springbok Women took another positive step towards the Rugby World Cup in England as they recovered from being outplayed by New Zealand’s Black Ferns XV in the first half of their match at Athlone Stadium on Saturday, to “winning” the second half.
Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote credited his team’s renowned, trademark South African grit and fighting spirit for their victory over New Zealand in the World Rugby U20 Championship final in Italy.
The Junior Springboks became the third South African team to claim world champion status by outplaying New Zealand 23-15 in the World Rugby U20 Championship Final in Rovigo on Saturday night.
Ireland centurion Cian Healy and Shannon Frizell from New Zealand have been confirmed as the latest names to join up with the Barbarians when they lock horns against the Springboks in the historic Qatar Airways Cup in Cape Town at the end of the month.
At the age of 22, life was good for Lerato Makua. In 2023, she had established herself in the Springbok Women squad, playing in 10 Tests and two friendlies and representing South Africa in Wales, England, Japan, New Zealand and Madagascar, and later France.
The Barbarians have revealed three Test centurions with a combined tally of 352 caps as the first players for their squad to take on the Springboks in Cape Town next month.
The Junior Springboks fell short in their bid to capture the Under-20 Rugby Championship when they lost to New Zealand in Gqeberha, but SA U20 head coach Kevin Foote said the players can take huge positives from their courageous effort against the young Kiwis.
The Springbok Sevens team are ready to let the ‘Gino’ out of the bottle when they face Uruguay, Australia and New Zealand in their pool at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, which moves to a new venue this year, the 50,000-seater Kai Tak Stadium.