USA coach: Springbok Women deserve more than empty stadiums

INTERVIEW: The Springbok Women’s team was visibly disappointed after their 19-26 defeat to the USA Women’s Eagles at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The home side trailed the visitors 12-14 at the break before being outscored by two tries to one in the second half.

The victory saw the Eagles level the two-Test series at 1-1, with the Bok Women falling short of claiming a historic series win after winning the first Test 34-21 at Ellis Park a week ago.

After the match, head coach Swys de Bruin and captain Babalwa Latsha lamented missed opportunities, but said they were proud of the effort shown by the side.

The Springboks Women have made significant strides since reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup last year.

That achievement in England may have raised expectations among the South African rugby public, but the reality is that the team is still playing catch-up with the world’s leading sides while continuing to punch above its weight.

The series against the USA showed that the Springbok Women are not far off, but further Test experience and exposure to high-pressure situations remain vital to their development.

Despite some results not going their way, De Bruin’s side has shown it deserves greater backing from the South African rugby public and bigger crowds at its matches.

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An estimated 45,053 spectators packed Loftus to watch the Springboks beat Scotland 42-28 on Saturday.

By contrast, the Bok Women played in front of only a fraction of that number, with large sections of the stadium empty and many of the seats occupied by members of the wider squad, families, and fans who arrived early to avoid traffic delays.

It was a disappointing sight for USA head coach Jack Hanratty, who urged the South African rugby public to get behind the team.

“To be honest, I would call upon the South African rugby public to buy in more,” he told Rugby365.

“Last week, their team had a historical victory; they beat us, and they beat us well.

“But there weren’t enough people there to see it. We got to stay and watch the Men’s game, and when the crowd erupted and the flames came on, the atmosphere was incredible, and our athletes got to experience that.

“But they should’ve experienced it for their own game.”

While there’s no doubt the women’s game has grown in South Africa, support for the Springbok Women has struggled to keep pace in recent years.

SA Rugby attempted to increase interest by adding their matches with the USA as curtain-raisers to the Bok Tests, and one could argue that the strategy got a bum or two in a seat.

Hanratty said he hopes to see fuller stadiums when they return to face South Africa in the future.

“For us, we need to convince Americans that rugby is a cool sport; we don’t need to convince South Africans.

“I just hope that the next time we’re here we can’t hear each other on the radio because I know that’s what the Men’s teams go through.

“I’d love to see people buy in because this South African team is only going to get better, and I think the world knows that.

“They have intelligent coaches and athletes. I personally hope, as a rugby fan, that the next time we’re here, the atmosphere will be for both Women’s and Men’s teams.”

The Eagles captain, Georgie Perris-Redding, also echoed her coach’s sentiments.

Perris-Redding said she had enjoyed her time in the Republic after missing out on previous tours.

“The last couple of times we’ve been here I was injured, so to get out here has been amazing,” she said.

“What I will say is the people are incredible. We’ve met some of the nicest, welcoming people. Even at our captains’ run we had a university team, and they were so kind and generous.

“I agree with Jack, fair play to South Africa, they’re an incredible team, but I think they deserve a lot more people watching them.”

The Springbok Women will next face Fiji away from home before tackling the Black Ferns in Soweto in September.

Later in the year, they’ll face Wales, Italy and Spain in the Global WXV Tests and close their calendar year with two matches against Ireland in Cape Town.