Bok Women's glimmer of hope for WXV 2 glory
It has been a whirlwind ride for the Springbok Women’s team, who have been constantly punching above their weight in this year’s WXV 2 tournament.
The South African Women have undergone rapid changes under the guidance of new performance coach Swys De Bruin and his coaching team.
Since De Bruin took over in August the side recorded wins over the star-laden Barbarians, Spain, and Japan.
At the weekend, the Bok Women pushed Australia to the edge and narrowly fell short in the 26-33 defeat at Athlone Stadium.
The Bok Women looked down and out until the final 20 minutes of the game, but two late tries ensured they claimed two losing bonus points.
The result moved South Africa to third on the WXV 2 table with seven points.
The hosts are just one point behind defending champions Scotland and three behind first-placed Australia.
The Wallaroos and Scotland will face each other in the final match of the WXV 2 at Athlone Stadium on Saturday.
A win for either side will make sure they lift the trophy.
If the match ends in a draw, there will be no extra time, and each side will be awarded two points.
That means Australia will conclude the WXV 2 with 12 points and could be crowned the WXV 2 champs, given their superior point difference.
However, there is a slim chance that neither team will hoist the trophy.
And this is where it gets interesting.
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Should Scotland beat Australia without a bonus point in a very low-scoring match, it would take them to 12 points and give South Africa a slim chance of winning.
But that will require that South Africa beat Italy by more or less 50 points and hope that Scotland does not run away with scoring against Australia.
Putting 50 past Italy would also mean that if the Wallaroos draw, South Africa can go top of the standings.
So the to-do list is to beat Italy by 50 and hope Scotland beat Australia in a low-scoring match.
While it is a long shot, the Springbok Women have certainly made their mark and have sent a stern message to the opposition ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Ranking at the conclusion of the Tournament
At the conclusion of each WXV Level of the Tournament, the Teams are ranked one through six based on their cumulative Match points.
If, at the completion of a WXV Level, two or more Teams are level on Match points, then the following criteria shall be used in the following order until one of the Teams can be determined as the higher ranked:
(a) The winner of the Match in which the two tied Teams have played each other shall be the higher ranked:
(b) The Team which has the best difference between points scored for and points scored against in all its Matches shall be the higher ranked:
(c) The Team which has the best difference between tries scored for and tries scored against in all its Matches shall be the higher ranked:
(d) The Team which has scored most points in all its Matches shall be the higher ranked:
(e) The Team which has scored most tries in all its Matches shall be the higher ranked:
(f) the Team that has received fewer red cards and citings during the Tournament is declared the winner;
(g) the Team that has received fewer yellow cards and Citing Commissioner warnings during the Tournament is declared the winner;
(noting that in the case of (f) and (g), red cards/citings that are overturned/not upheld shall not be included in the calculation).
(h) If none of the above produce a result, then it will be resolved with a toss of a coin.
