They may have run out of time to pull off a thrilling victory, but the fighting spirit shown by the Springbok Women right until the end of Saturday’s 33-26 loss to Australia proved how much they have grown as a team.
Coach Swys de Bruin and captain Lusanda Dumke praised the manner in which the Bok Women refused to give up in the WXV 2 fixture at the Athlone Stadium, with men’s skipper Siya Kolisi also in the stands willing them on to victory.
Thank you, Cape Town ❤️
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It was a gripping final quarter as the South Africans rallied back from 33-12 down with over 20 minutes to go to launch a final raid on the Wallaroos’ tryline after the hooter, after centre Zintle Mpupha and hooker Micke Gunter scored twice to reduce the deficit to seven points in the closing stages.
But with the hosts camping on the Australian tryline, the visitors’ star openside flank Ashley Marsters made the crucial intervention at a breakdown to earn a penalty and secure the victory.
It was heartbreak for the Boks, who are ranked 11th, compared to the much more established seventh-ranked Wallaroos.
“Firstly, I’m so, so proud of them. The guts they showed, guys... We’ve never, ever scored a try against Australia,” De Bruin said.
“We scored four tries, and that fifth one... I still want to go and see (if it was held up over the line). But it was a fantastic effort, and I’m proud.
“In a way – we’ve got a saying in our team that what happens to us happens for us. If it was meant to be, we would’ve scored there at the end... Maybe the process is carrying on. I don’t have a better word than very, very blessed and very proud.”
Openside flank Dumke added: “I think that was the highlight for me, like how we fought as a team.
“Regardless of the score, coach mentioned before the game that our focus was not really on the score, but how much we can fight for the whole 80 minutes.
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“We knew they are going to come (at us), we knew they have many X-factors (players) in their team.
“For us, it was a matter of just controlling what we can, and for that, the credit goes to the team – we fought very well, especially on defence.”
But former Lions head coach De Bruin agreed that it was a game that the South Africans could’ve won. They wasted a couple of try-scoring opportunities with poor decision-making on attack, while they also missed touch with a few penalties.
Considering the front-foot ball generated by their physical pack, who dominated in the scrums especially – although they didn’t always get the reward from Zimbabwean referee Precious Pazani – their finishing let them down.
The Boks also slipped too many one-on-one tackles, with the Aussies’ sleight of hand and ability to create space resulting in speedy wings Desiree Miller and Maya Stewart breaching the front lines too easily.
A commanding performance in Cape Town 💪
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Those will be the main areas of concern ahead of Saturday’s final clash against Italy at the Athlone Stadium (2pm).
“The mistakes we made, we will make. This team in the past was a very dominant set-play team, which they still are. But they can play now... They start playing,” De Bruin said.
“We had three or four overlaps (that we didn’t use). Even in the last second of the game, if that pass went through the hands, it would’ve been glory.
“We had two chances down the touchline, and just one pass more (and we would’ve scored).
“That’ll come with experience. I think we mustn’t forget that this Australian team are unlucky to be in this competition, as they are a first-division (WXV 1) team.
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“They are very unlucky... They are a top-tier team with very good athletes, and the fastest wingers that you can find – and they did burn us there.
“So, credit to them. They did burn us on the edges, and I think three of their tries were really just outflanking us on the edge – pure pace: in-out, off you go. You can’t stop that.”
Points-Scorers
South Africa 26 – Tries: Unam Tose, Sinazo Mcatshulwa, Zintle Mpupha, Micke Gunter. Conversions: Nadine Roos (3).
Australia 33 – Tries: Siokapesi Palu, Georgina Friedrichs, Eva Karpani, Desiree Miller, Maya Stewart. Conversions: Faitala Moleka (4).