Springbok Women to get a taste of World Cup against Canada
With the World Cup set to kick off in less than two months in England, women’s rugby has been growing rapidly, whether we like it or not.
More than 300,000 tickets have already been sold, and the excitement continues to grow.
England has urged fans to paint the host cities red and white, while the Black Ferns have unveiled their World Cup jersey design.
In South Africa, head of performance coach Swys de Bruin has been working hard to prepare the team for the massive occasion.
Various alignment camps have been at the forefront, and management has also lined up a couple of intense Test matches.
South Africa was recently crowned Rugby Africa Cup champions in Madagascar.
The Springboks, who left a number of first-choice players at home, recorded wins over Uganda and Kenya, and cruised to a 61-17 win over hosts Madagascar.
It is a massive achievement for the team, which bagged their fourth Rugby Africa title.
However, now the real test starts for De Bruin and his team.
The Springbok Women are set to face Canada and the Black Ferns XV.
The South Africans take on Canada in a two-Test series ( on July 5 and 12) in Pretoria and Gqeberha.
The fixtures are curtain-raisers for the Springboks’ Test against Italy.
The Springbok Women will also take on the Black Ferns XV on July 26 and August 2.
Canada are currently second in the world rankings, while New Zealand occupies the third spot.
“Canada and New Zealand are the top teams in the world at the moment – it’s the best opposition we can play,” Springbok forward Catha Jacobs told Rugby365.
“We are taking it one game at a time. We know our structures and how we want to play.
“I think it’s just about going out against Canada and seeing how we can execute our game plan.
“They are the best in the world. If our confidence can stay high and we stay in the fight against them, it will give us that boost for the World Cup.
“Knowing we can compete with the best in the world, we’ll be confident going up against Italy and France.”
Playing the curtain-raiser for the Springboks will also give them a taste of what to expect when playing in front of a bigger crowd.
“I don’t know how many people know that we are playing the curtain-raiser for the Springboks.
“But if people can come out and support us, it would be great.
She added: “I do know we have a lot of supporters, and if they knew when we are playing, they would come an hour earlier, have a beer, and watch some good rugby.”
The Springbok Women have been delivering some noteworthy performances, which, like their male counterparts, are very forward-driven.
The side prides itself on scrums, which have excelled under the guidance of assistant coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt.
“Coach Laurian has been massive for our team.
“Being our forwards coach, she is in charge of our scrums – which have dominated in the last few Test matches.
“She would tell us to say ‘We like scrums,’ even if we don’t always. She is a really good coach and pushes us to our limits.
“She has been working with us since the previous World Cup. She knows us as players and understands us on a different level.”
Meanwhile, Canada received a boost with the news that captain Sophie de Goede, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament a year ago, will rejoin the team ahead of the team’s upcoming tour to South Africa.
Canada coach Kevin Rouet has invited De Goede and 37 other players to a training camp that runs from Friday through June 27.
Thirty-two will then be chosen for the trip to South Africa
