Leicester-bound Bok eyes strong set-piece against Kiwis
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Springbok Women hooker Micke Günter’s move to Leicester Tigers is not only a dream come true but also a testament to how the women’s game has improved in South Africa.
The 26-year-old recently signed a deal with Leicester Tigers ahead of the 2025/26 season. She will join the Premier Women’s Rugby (PWR) club from the Bulls Daisies following the 2025 World Cup.
The hooker has become one of the prominent figures in the women’s game in South Africa, establishing herself as a powerful hooker and inspirational leader.
She previously played for the Sharks and joined the Bulls Daisies in early May 2023, forming part of the squad that became the first professional women’s rugby team in South Africa.
Since then, it has been one incredible achievement after the other.
She contributed to a dramatic unbeaten season in 2023, helping the Daisies claim the Women’s Premier Division title with a 14-0 record.
She continued her success with the Bulls, winning consecutive league titles in both 2024 and 2025. She captained the side during the final against Western Province earlier this year.
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“It’s been a dream of mine for a very long time,” Günter told reporters at the UCT rugby field in Cape Town.
“The Bulls Daisies set such a good standard as the first professional side in South Africa. They took me in, and I gained so much experience from them.
“I have to give them credit for what they’re doing for the women’s game.
“Heading to Leicester is my next chapter, and I’m excited to see what’s in store. I’m just going to take the opportunity with both hands.”
She added: “It’s a good club to integrate into. They are building at the moment.
“Catha [Jacobs], who has been at Leicester for two seasons, said that with my personality, I would fit right in.
“For me, I think it’s about embracing the culture, embracing everything, and enjoying every moment.”
However, before her new adventure, the hooker will play a key role in leading the Springbok pack against the Black Ferns XV on Saturday.
Günter recently returned to the Springbok setup after missing an entire international season due to injury, playing back-to-back Tests against Canada.
“The XV are coming here with something to prove,” Günter said.
“They are a really strong nation – from grassroots to where they are now, they play a lot of rugby.
“We’re excited for them to bring the pressure. We need to focus mainly on ourselves, our processes, and what we’ve been training for, because the next goal is the World Cup.”
The Springboks can certainly rely on their solid scrums. The side has been excellent, putting Canada under pressure in the last two fixtures.
However, the line-outs are the area they have to pay more attention to in an effort to perfect their overall set-piece display.
“Scrums have always been our strength. We’re building on our line-outs, and in the last two matches we’ve improved on that,” Gunter said.
“If we look at the last couple of years and where I started, it has been immense growth. We’re setting the bar now, and we want to keep climbing.
“We want to give the backs a good platform to play off, and trust our scrums and line-outs to do that.”
The 13-capped Springbok has urged supporters to come out in their numbers and back the team against New Zealand.
“The support in Athlone is incredible. During last year’s WXV2, we had a lot of people coming out and supporting us, and that’s what we strive for.
“One of our goals is to inspire the next generation, and with the support coming out, we can get a lot of girls looking forward to being in our shoes one day.”
“We have a squad full of strong, powerful women who have stories of sacrifice and commitment to the game of rugby!” #rugby #news #sports @USARugby #WomenInRugby #WomenInSports https://t.co/mkv1BvwlcK
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) July 18, 2025
