VIDEO: Bok Women line up more test rugby
REACTION: The Springbok Women have a barrier that needs crossing if they want to contest the World Cup next year in England.
South African Women have undergone a massive growth spurt in recent weeks.
The side has secured impressive wins over star-laden Barbarians, Spain and Japan in the WXV 2 opener.
They also came close to snatching a draw against eventual WXV 2 champs Australia and were within one score of securing a famous win over Italy.
Swys de Bruin’s team concluded the WXV 2 in fourth place, level on league points with Italy and above Wales, who both play in the Six Nations.
If you compare last year’s campaign to this year’s there have been loads of progress.
However, it would be stretching it a bit to say that the Springbok Women are World Cup-ready.
While the coaching structure and character of the team are all ingredients to make them one of the top sides, the lack of Test matches and squad depth are some of the hindrances in their efforts to contest for the World Cup trophy.
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“We need to play more competitive rugby against stronger teams,” said De Bruin after the 19-23 defeat to Italy.
“It is very difficult to get those games.”
The former Lions coach revealed the team has set up matches against Spain, who won the WXV 3.
However, it has been a battle to secure matches against the top sides.
The national team play in the Rugby Africa’s Women’s Cup and has been dominating with three titles since the start of the tournament in 2019.
“Lynne [Cantwell, the SA Rugby women’s high-performance manager] is doing a fantastic job for next year. We are going to play against Spain and an invitational side from New Zealand.
“But we did ask – and I’m not going to mention names – one or two top sides in the top six, and we are not getting in there.
“So, it is a bit of a concern. Once you are in the top six, it’s hard to get in there. We need more competitive Tests, and more franchises who are professional as well for us to grow the game further.”
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The Bulls Daisies are currently the only professional team in South Africa’s Women’s Premier Division.
Last year, the Pretoria-based franchise awarded 35 female players professional contracts.
The other teams like Border Ladies, Sharks Women, Western Province and Boland Dames have yet to follow the route – the teams are currently made up of semi-professional and mostly amateur players.
SA Rugby announced in August that they have been formulating plans to centrally contract as many as 150 female rugby players as early as next year to create an elite Women’s Super League Rugby (WSLR) competition.
The development will be a major boost for De Bruin and management who is eager to put in extra work to find players as they seek to build squad depth.
“Although we have ticked a few boxes, I must say if you look at total depth we got to investigate more.
“There must be more talent in certain positions if we want to get stronger.
“We have to put in a concerted effort to dig deep and find that talent.”
With the lack of internal competition, De Bruin stated he has no problem with players seeking contracts overseas.
Instead, the coach encourages it.
“The [overseas] players bring that experience back to South Africa and I have no problem.
“With the Springbok men’s team, when Rassie Erasmus took over, his first decision was to pick players wherever they play in the world and not just locally.
“The previous head coaches were restricted. So I am in favour of following Rassie’s module.
“If you want to play overseas, I like that a lot. It gives them experience.
“And work both ways.”
The Women’s World Cup draw will take place on Thursday, October 17 with the match schedule set to be revealed on Tuesday, October 22.
