Bok Women on the rise as Libbie makes history

OPINION: Springbok fullback Libbie Janse van Rensburg became the first woman in South African rugby history to score more than 200 points.

It happened during the preparation match for WXV 2 against Spain in Cape Town on Thursday.

Not much hype was made about this milestone.

But it signals the dawn of the Springbok Women as they slowly but surely start gathering momentum for the WXV and the World Cup in England next year.

SA Rugby has committed to helping the Bok Women improve, and the early signs are there that the team could become a threat.

Their coach Swys de Bruin was asked how he felt about the lack of support that still surrounds the national women’s side after they all but demolished the Barbarians convincingly 59-17 a fortnight ago.

“The more they win, the more people will come out and support them,” De Bruin said.

He is a well-weathered and experienced coach. He understands the rugby culture in South Africa, its supporters, and how to grow support for a struggling team.

After all, he did it with the Lions when he and Johan Ackermann took over a dwindling side.

The rest as they say is history.

A year ago in an interview, Janse van Rensburg said: “Now people know who we are”.

How true those words ring now.

Both these comments signal a message – that the Springbok Women are garnering support through their hard work, and now also while doing their talking on the field.

And just like their male counterparts, this team loves to scrum. Spain was on the receiving end of some extraordinary scrums and big hits.

The Bok Women are physical and not afraid to show it.

They delivered a masterclass in forward physicality as they beat Spain by 36-19 in cold and very windy conditions in Cape Town, setting the perfect tone for WXV 2, kicking off in the Mother City next weekend.

Janse van Rensburg has been groundbreaking on the pitch for the past few years and has cemented herself as one of the best female players in the country.

Her performances this year have earned the 29-year-old the Women’s Player of the Year at the SA Rugby Awards.

The moment Libbie Janse van Rensburg made history for the Springbok Women 😤

📺 Stream #SpringbokWomen on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/EZvWwpLH9Y

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 19, 2024

She stretched her points at Test level over 200 when she went over for her 11th Test try as the Bok Women sent the ball wide from another dominant scrum on Thursday.

Janse van Rensburg’s meteoric rise started when she reached her 100 Test points tally in only 12 internationals, a reflection of her contribution since making her debut against Kenya in Stellenbosch in 2022.

In October last year, she was the Player of the Match against Samoa as the Springbok Women wrapped up their WXV 2 tournament with a 33-7 bonus point victory scoring a hat-trick of tries.

She was South Africa’s stand-out player in last year’s World Sevens Challenger Series, helping South Africa to qualify for the HSBC SVNS Series.

The Springbok Women’s fullback and flyhalf has quickly become one of the most recognizable players in the game despite the struggles for women’s rugby to get the recognition it deserves compared to the rest of the world.

But things are set to change very quickly because as South Africans we do love a Springbok winning team.