Springbok Women performance coach Swys de Bruin heaped praise on his squad after a dramatic comeback performance in their WXV 2 match against Australia at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday evening brought them to the brink of a draw against the team ranked seventh in the world.
She has been on the biggest stages of the rugby world, but on Saturday, Zintle Mpupha does not want to be anywhere else than at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, playing in the green and gold of South Africa with a leaping springbok on the chest, fueled on by a home crowd rooting for the Springbok Women and urging them on to be the best version of themselves against a much-vaunted opponent.
Expect the unexpected, but be sure that the Springbok Women will have their minds firmly on the job at hand and executing their opponent-specific gameplan when they take on Australia's Wallaroos in their second round WXV 2 clash at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.
With the first hurdle cleared in WXV 2, the Springbok Women have their eyes firmly set on their next challenge in the tournament, taking on Australia in Cape Town on Saturday, an engagement they are looking forward to.
It was a hot and humid night in Kumagaya when Ayanda Malinga last faced Japan, but the memory of that special Test 26 months ago still fuels the Springbok Women winger.
Ayanda Malinga will make a return to Test rugby for the first time since 2022 after being named on the left wing for the Springbok Women’s opening match of WXV 2 against Japan at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Friday.
Springbok Women performance coach Swys de Bruin has made two changes to the starting team that will face Spain at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Thursday, and three tweaks to the bench from their comprehensive victory over the Barbarians just over a week ago.
Nolusindiso Booi will lead a Springbok Women team laden with Test experience against the Barbarians Women in Cape Town on Saturday, while Swys de Bruin and his coaching staff added a named a number of new players to the match-23.
The Springbok Women are keen to start their first appearance front of a home crowd in South Africa on the best possible note and as such, had no problems to focus on what needs to be done in the match week leading up to their Barbarians clash on Saturday.
The Springbok Women will face Japan in the opening game of the 2024 edition of WXV 2 on Friday, 27 September in Cape Town, with the other two tournaments kicking off on the same weekend in Canada (WXV 1) and Duban (WXV 3).