Picture it. Ellis Park, 13 August 2022. 1pm. The devoted drinkers were already starting to convene in the beer garden, preparing for the second clash of the year between the Springboks and the All Blacks. But those who made the effort to head into the stadium early to watch the curtain raiser between the Springbok Women and Spain were in for a treat – an exhilarating, joyful game that the Bok Women won 44-5. It turned out to be South Africa’s only win that day, but we won’t dwell on that. The bigger picture is that if you want to grow the women’s game, you need people to watch it. You need them to see the incredible potential this team has to deliver an exciting brand of rugby.
This weekend, we’ll once again get that opportunity, as the Springbok Women take on the Barbarian Women in a curtain raiser for the Springboks v All Blacks clash in Cape Town. It’s a 1:30pm kick-off, which, I know, makes for a long day, but let’s face it – what else are you doing on a Saturday if not watching rugby? It gives the groundsmen the opportunity to restore the pitch between matches, and gives those devoted drinkers the chance to replenish their stocks before the Boks get things underway at 5pm. Maybe line the stomachs a little. Everybody wins. And by everybody, I mean hopefully both SA teams this time around.
This fixture, which forms part of the women’s preparations for the WXV 2 competition kicking off in Cape Town on 27 September, is the latest in a series of exciting announcements demonstrating that SA Rugby is (finally) leaning into their commitment to grow the women’s game. The biggest of these was the news, shared on Women’s Day, that SA Rugby plans to contract as many as 150 women from 2025 to create a new elite competition, Women’s Super League Rugby. The name may need work, but the principle is what we have all been clamouring for. It’s an absolute no brainer that you can’t expect players to compete at the highest level if they are still playing as amateurs. The Bulls led the way with this, and contracted their Bulls Daisies players in 2023 – the only South African team to do so. And the contrast between professional players and those who are semi-professional or amateur has shown up starkly in some of their results. We’re talking cricket scores. The details of the new competition are still being finalised, but it is expected that there will be four or five teams, with centrally contracted players shared among them. However it pans out, this is a huge step forward for the women’s game in South Africa.
In addition, coaching structures for the Springbok Women have also been bolstered recently, with Swys de Bruin confirmed as the new Performance Coach for the team, and Bafana Nhleko taking up the reins as backline and defence coach. They’ve hit the ground running with preparations for the upcoming fixtures, and things are looking promising for the women’s team to improve their current ranking of 12th in the world.
It's exciting times for rugby fans, and whether you’ll be heading to the stadium on Saturday, or watching from the comfort of your couch, I encourage you to start early and watch our Springbok Women in what promises to be an entertaining match against the BaaBaas. The game will also be shown on SuperSport Rugby (211).
Springbok Women team to face the Barbarian Women:
1. Sanelisiwe Charlie (Bulls Daisies) – 18 caps, 5 points (1 try)
2. Lindelwa Gwala (Ealing Trailfinders Women) – 32 caps, 60 points (12 tries)
3. Babalwa Latsha (Harlequins Women) – 29 caps, 25 points (5 tries)
4. Nolusindiso Booi (captain, DHL Western Province) – 45 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
5. Vainah Ubisi (Bulls Daisies) – 14 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
6. Sizophila Solontsi (Bulls Daisies) – 21 caps, 40 points (8 tries)
7. Sinazo Mcatshulwa (DHL Western Province) – 31 caps, 45 points (9 tries)
8. Aseza Hele (Sanlam Boland Dames) – 21 caps, 40 points (8 tries)
9. Tayla Kinsey (Sharks Women) – 35 caps, 48 points (2 tries, 16 conversions, 2 penalty goals)
10. Nadine Roos (unattached) – 11 caps, 25 points (5 tries)
11. Ayanda Malinga (Bulls Daisies) – 8 Tests, 50 points (10 tries)
12. Chumisa Qawe (Bulls Daisies) – 15 Tests, 15 points (3 tries)
13. Eloise Webb (Border Ladies) – 10 Tests, 30 points (6 tries)
14. Jakkie Cilliers (Bulls Daisies) – 13 caps, 68 points (7 tries, 12 conversions, 3 penalty goals)
15. Byrhandré Dolf (Bulls Daisies) – 14 caps, 15 points (3 tries)
Replacements:
16. Micke Gunter (Bulls Daisies) – 8 caps, 0 points
17. Yonela Ngxingolo (Bulls Daisies) – 28 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
18. Azisa Mkiva (DHL Western Province) – 9 caps, 0 points
19. Danelle Lochner (Harlequins Women) – 12 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
20. Sinelitha Noxeke (Bulls Daisies) – 2 caps, 0 points
21. Felicia Jacobs (Sanlam Boland Dames) – 5 Tests, 5 points (1 try)
22. Libbie Janse van Rensburg (Bulls Daisies) – 22 caps, 199 points (10 tries, 55 conversions, 12 penalty goals, 1 drop goal)
23. Zintle Mpupha (Bulls Daisies) – 20 Tests, 101 points (19 tries, 3 conversions)
Barbarian Women’s Touring Squad for South Africa
Forwards:
Kathryn Buggy (Ireland)
Rochelle Clarke (England)
Ciara Cooney (Ireland)
Cerys Hale (Wales)
Laura Keates (England)
Joanna Kitlinski (USA)
Rownita Marston-Mulhearn (England)
Charmaine McMenamin (New Zealand)
Abi Meyrick (Wales)
Claire Molloy (Ireland)
Sera Naiqama (Australia)
Alycia Washington (USA)
Backs:
Rachael Burford (England)
Kendra Cocksedge (New Zealand)
Kathryn Dane (Ireland)
Cheta Emba (USA)
Carla Hohepa (New Zealand)
Sarah Law (Scotland)
Rachel Lund (England)
Celia Quansah (England)
Amber Reed (England)
Emily Scott (England)
Lydia Thompson (England)
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