Bok Women to empty the tank against Italy

SPOTLIGHT: A strong finish for the Springbok Women against Italy in their final WXV 2 match at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday will justify the hard work during the season and keep the squad’s upward momentum going.

That is the view of Springbok Women assistant coach Franzel September after the team completed their preparations for the match against the Le Azzurre, where a bonus point victory could push them to the top of the tournament standings.

“We want to finish well in this tournament,” said September.

“We have been playing good rugby over the last couple of weeks and want to see that growth and progress continue in our performance against Italy, which is a very experienced outfit. The systems being put in place for us are showing good deliverables and we hope for more on Saturday.

“We are on a World Cup trajectory and what we are doing now are building blocks towards that, but that does not mean that we don’t want to play well and win the game. The squad’s progress in many areas of the game has been commendable and if our plans for Italy come off, we will be in a very good position to win the game.”

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The two teams have only played twice, with the previous match just under 12 months ago, also in WXV 2 at the Athlone Stadium. The South African side looks quite different from that outing, won 36-18 by the Italians.

“Yes, our squad looks quite different, but our style has not changed that much – we still want to dominate the set piece and hope those rewards lay the foundation for victory,” September said.

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Flyhalf Nadine Roos will take on the Italians for the first time in what will be the 80th Test played by the Springbok Women.

“It is going to be a hard-fought match, but we believe that we can beat them,” said Roos.

“We came so close against Australia last weekend and the reviews showed how many opportunities to score were not capitalised on, so we know we are on the right track. We just need to execute better this time around. We really worked hard for this and I believe we will end the campaign on a high.

“Look, Italy are very experienced and well-organised, so we will have to be patient in breaking them down. We know our physicality is a problem to opponents, so that will definitely be part of our game tomorrow and we expect a huge effort from our pack. The backs are finding each other nicely and I think the spectators are in a for a treat tomorrow.”

Roos praised the Athlone crowd and said their support boosts the team: “It is wonderful to have so many people out to come and watch us and we want to thank them with a solid performance.

“It remains a massive honour to play for your country and the Springbok Women are proud of what we represent. So we are not holding back, we will empty the tank for sure.”