'We need to keep spreading the word of women’s rugby'

With the 2025 Women’s World Cup now behind us, there’s a strong sense of reflection – and anticipation – in South African rugby circles. The question many are asking is: what comes next?

In the wake of a historic campaign that saw the Springbok Women reach the quarterfinals for the first time in their history, South African women’s rugby is beginning to build real momentum.

One of the key developments has been SA Rugby’s launch of the Betway Women’s Club Championship, which brought together 16 women’s teams – from the provincial unions, plus the wildcard entry Raiders – for three days of intense rugby in a format similar to Craven Week.

While this initiative marks important progress, there’s a growing sense that more needs to be done. Extending the competition over a longer period could be a valuable next step as the women’s game continues to grow domestically.

On the international front, World Rugby has revamped the WXV Series, which will now feature the top 18 national teams.

The top 12 sides – Australia, Canada, England, France, Italy, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, the USA, and Wales – will compete in a home-and-away, cross-regional touring model within a newly aligned September–October international window.

Meanwhile, teams ranked 13-18 – Brazil, Fiji, Hong Kong China, the Netherlands, Samoa, and Spain – will play their fixtures in a single destination in both 2026 and 2028, with full funding from World Rugby.

“World Rugby has already changed the WXV formats; there’s the Six Nations, and there are conversations about creating more competitions for more teams,” explained Libbie Janse van Rensburg, one of the Springbok Women’s standout voices.

“Most of the time, it’s the top six teams that get a lot of game time against each other, while the rest of us have to look for fixtures.

“I think World Rugby is putting more effort into ensuring there are more games, more competitions. From a South African perspective, we also need more home fixtures – against quality opposition, in stadiums where people will show up. But that means marketing needs to be done well and in advance.

“We can’t just post once a week before a game and expect people to turn up. We need to advertise yearly calendars and keep promoting them consistently.”

Van Rensburg, who has built a strong online following, believes social media plays a crucial role in growing women’s rugby – and she’s urging her teammates to embrace it.

“People need to know about us. The ladies need to be consistent on social media as well,” she said.

“That’s one of the strengths of women’s rugby – the visibility of female athletes online. It makes the women’s game unique compared to the men’s.

“Fans can see who we are and what we do in our spare time. That personal connection matters.

“So not only from a World Rugby and SA Rugby perspective, but as individual players, we have a responsibility to keep spreading the word of women’s rugby.”

South Africa’s spirited display against New Zealand at the World Cup has sparked discussions about expanding the Pacific Four Series – currently contested by New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and the USA.

Adding Fiji and South Africa would not only boost the competition’s intensity but also strengthen the global women’s rugby calendar – an idea that excites Van Rensburg.

“That’s exactly what we need – more game time against top-quality teams. That’s how we’re going to get better.”

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‘We were someone in England’

Reflecting on the World Cup, Van Rensburg described the experience as both surreal and deeply affirming.

“It’s so difficult to put into words the whole experience and the love that we felt there,” she recalled.

“In England, we were someone – a team people spoke about. There was a lot of conversation around our style of play.

“It felt good to be valued – not just in women’s rugby, but in the broader women’s sports community.”

The Springbok Women reached the quarterfinals after emphatic wins over Brazil (66–6) and Italy (29–24), before a narrow loss to France in the pool stage.

Their showdown with the mighty Black Ferns became one of the tournament’s most talked-about moments, particularly for their bold decision to use a 15-player maul – a move that stunned even seasoned fans.

“When coach Swys [de Bruin] said we were going to do a 15-man line-out, my first thought was: if we lose this ball, they’re going to walk over the tryline because I’m not chasing them!” Van Rensburg admitted.

“I’d never been in a line-out before. I didn’t know what to do! We had to learn how to maul – the forwards helped us so much. They told us, ‘Don’t make it fat, make it skinny,’ and to get behind each other and just move – little steps forward in a dark place.

“It was an exciting week prepping for that. I can tick that off my bucket list now.”

The Bok Women’s brave effort saw them level at 10-all with the six-time world champions at half-time – the first team ever to achieve that against New Zealand in World Cup history.

The road ahead

The future of women’s rugby in South Africa looks promising, but as Van Rensburg noted, it will require sustained effort – from governing bodies, players, and fans alike.

“We’ve shown what we’re capable of,” she said.

“Now we have to keep building, keep playing, and most importantly – keep spreading the word of women’s rugby.”

Picture credit: Ane Havenga