The value of the inaugural U20 women’s series
SPOTLIGHT: The value of the Junior Springbok Women playing three tough matches in the African Under-20 Women’s Series will be realised in coming seasons when the top U20 players progress to the senior ranks, both at provincial and national levels.
The U20 series, comprised of South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda and the San Clemente Rhinos, was hosted by SA Rugby at Paul Roos Gymnasium’s Markötter Stadium in Stellenbosch, and supported by World Rugby, Rugby Africa, and UK Sport, with R10 the title sponsor.
According to Lynne Cantwell, SA Rugby’s High-Performance Manager for Women’s Rugby, exposure to international competition at U20 level is an essential part of a player’s pathway to higher honours and in that regard, the series was a massive success.
The Junior Springbok Women won all three their matches – 26-17 against Tunisia, 43-15 against the Rhinos and 35-3 against Uganda – while at the same time exposing the playing squad to what international rugby looks like.
“This is a big part of our roadmap to professionalism and while we are prioritising our senior programme at the moment, a year before the World Cup, we know that the strength of our seniors is determined by the strength of the pathway,” said Cantwell.
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“We’ve had an U20 programme for a while, from where some of our most experienced current senior players emerged, but over the last couple of years, we’ve been trying to step that up a notch and we’ve seen the value of players cutting their teeth at U20 level.
“Over the last few seasons, players such as Vainah Ubisi, Mary Zulu and Byrhandre Dolf have come through the Junior Springbok Women into the senior national squad, and we’d like to increase that.
“That was a big driver in us hosing this two-week series, as being in camp gave the players a unique learning opportunity – not only through daily training, but also by experiencing things like analysis, recovery and nutrition.
“Playing in three games over eight days was also a great way for them to experience the rigours of international rugby and we have to thank Rugby Africa and UK Sport for their roles in putting this series together.”
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Cantwell was also delighted to see how the players improved over their three games, with the senior team coming out to support the U20s in one of their games, while all the players from the U20 series attended one round of WXV 2, which is hosted in Cape Town.
“It was an amazing opportunity for the girls and who knows, with next year’s Rugby World Cup, we may even see one or two of the players getting pulled into the senior squad,” said Cantwell.
“At the same time, we are busy rebuilding our women’s sevens programme, which provides other opportunities for these young players to come through.
“This U20 camp will be invaluable for the future development of these girls. They were away from home from an extended period, in camp, sharing rooms and making new friends, all of which are key to learning and understanding what a proper team environment is all about.
“There is no better way to prepare them for what it’s like at senior international level and what is necessary to succeed. They were based at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport and got the experience of a lifetime in the last two weeks.”
Attending the Springbok Women’s second WXV clash against Australia was also a wonderful experience for the girls, said Cantwell, while a number of players in the senior watched the U20s take on the Rhinos last Friday.
“We can’t underestimate the impact for these girls to see their role models in action, as it will have motivated them to see what can be achieved,” she said.
“In the end, where they end up in rugby depends on themselves, but they were really inspired by the senior players. They brought the hype and the vibe at the WXV games, and they will hopefully go home inspired to work harder in order to make it to Springbok level themselves.”
Cantwell said SA Rugby’s plans to create an elite competition from next year, the Women’s Super League Rugby, will go a long way in boosting the profile of the women’s game in South Africa as the Bok Women build to the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England.
“It’s a big year for us, and the provincial unions are also doing great work to get more girls to play rugby,” she said.
“We have to build at community and high school level and then feed into our planned elite women’s competition, with professional teams across a number of provinces. We are really motivated by this, as it will allow us to build more capacity.
“These U20 players will hopefully also feed into that competition, and I think the camp they have just completed will be really important in their development as they were also having fun, making friends, and learning that competency, as confidence is key in rugby.
“We are building a strong women’s rugby culture which will ensure they are safe and have a sense of belonging, but also smiling when they play the game.”
