VIDEO: Where it went wrong for Bok Women

REACTION: Springbok Women performance coach Swys de Bruin is under no illusion about the work his team still has to do following their 20-50 defeat to Canada on Saturday.

De Bruin and the Springbok Women knew the match against the No.2  Test team in the world was going to be difficult, and it was exactly the kind of task they wanted.

The Canadians tested the Springbok Women in all areas of the game and scored eight tries for their first victory on South African soil.

The hosts managed to reply with three tries of their own courtesy of Jakkie Cilliers, Byrhandre Dolf and Sizo Solontsi.

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“In a game like this, the score is important, but it’s not everything,” De Bruin told reporters after the match at Loftus Versfeld.

“We are looking at combinations and also how we measure up against the best in the world.

“Last time we played Canada, [the scoreline] was 66-7; this time it’s 50-20, so the gap is closing.

“But we’ve got so much work left, and it’s a reality check for us all.

“The second half was much better, and the biggest work-on is the soft moments. We gave away four soft tries – that’s 28 points gone.

“But I must say, they’re a skilful team.”

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The Springbok Women’s scrums withstood the trial, but De Bruin pinpointed the breakdown as the team’s Achilles heel.

“Six of the first seven penalties against us were for breakdown infringements, and that’s a law thing we have to sort out.

“We’ve got to be able to go to the girls and show them why we concede penalties. It’s not only how the referee interprets the breakdown, but also how we see it and how we apply it.”

He added: “We worked with [former Irish referee] Alain Rolland during the week to help us with the breakdowns. He showed us a couple of clips and we spoke about them, but the application during the game was different from what our players trained for, and we couldn’t adapt.

“It’s tough, and it’s tough on the players as well.”

Captain Nolusindiso Booi added that they tried to rectify their mistakes at halftime, and know where they need to improve.

“If we can limit our errors, we can do much better,” Booi, who became the most-capped captain (22).

“We saw in the second half, when the replacements entered the field, we performed better.

“At the break, we had a discussion – they were beating us on the edges because no tries were coming through the middle. So we knew exactly what we needed to do.

“I think sometimes, when the pressure comes, we get a bit scared and commit errors.

“But in the second half, we backed ourselves, and at least we are moving in the right direction.”

The Springboks Women will face Canada next week in their second Test in Gqeberha, before they go to Cape Town to face the Black Ferns XV.