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‘An ideal dress rehearsal’: Four work-ons for Bok Women before quarters
Thanks to their history-making win over Italy last weekend, South Africa’s Springboks have qualified for the World Cup quarterfinals. This means that coach Swys de Bruin effectively has a free swing against France on Sunday.
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And while he’ll want to underline the team’s strengths – dominance around the fringe, go-forward from the scrum, strike-play from first phase – the final group game presents an opportunity to work on a few weaknesses before the knockouts.
Line-out accuracy – both on defence and attack
Italy’s four tries were scored from a line-out, either through a driving maul or from an attacking set off the top. All too often the South Africans were out of shape or too easily picked apart once the ball fizzed across the backline.
They need to show more intent against France, both with jumpers in the air and on defensive mauls. This weekend offers the coaching staff a valuable chance to refine calling structures, improve timing under pressure, and sharpen defensive reads.
On attack they simply need to be more accurate. Their own maul is a potent weapon but on a few occasions, with line-outs taking place in Italy’s red zone, jumpers were missed or lifters found themselves in awkward positions, coughing up soft free-kicks or penalties. Great organisation is required over the next few weeks.
Defence past the 13 channel
Much of South Africa’s defensive strength comes from their work around the ruck and midfield, where physicality and line speed often choke space. However, once play moves beyond the 13 channel, gaps appear. Italy exploited this by stretching the defence laterally, forcing mismatches and isolating defenders in one-on-one scenarios. France, with their fluid backline movement and offloading game, will be even more dangerous in that space.
To their credit they did rectify this problem after the half-time break against Italy where Zintle Mpupha at 13 found greater support from the destructive Aphiwe Ngwevu in midfield. That connectivity will be tested against France, who thrive in broken field, those small errors can quickly become seven-point swings. The key lies in tightening defensive spacing beyond 13, ensuring that midfield communication translates into alignment further out. Line speed is a must, but the outside backs need to resist the urge to rush without cover inside them.
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Go-forward ball without Aseza Hele
Aseza Hele has been the Springboks’ most consistent carrier, their go-to for guaranteed metres post-contact. Her absence or even neutralisation poses a real question: where else can South Africa find reliable go-forward? The victory over Italy showed glimpses of answers. The front row, especially Babalwa Latsha, can dent the line from scrum or pick-and-go. There is power on the flanks, and the centres are effective battering rams. But none pose the same heft as Hele.
The Boks need to diversify their carrying threats and there might be a temptation to rest Hele entirely. She picked up a niggle against Italy and was subbed off as a precaution. Not only would her absence give her an extra week to rest but would also put the onus on some of her team-mates to provide that carrying threat against France.
Using centres like Zintle Mpupha to punch up from first phase, or encouraging forwards to carry in pods rather than isolation, could spread the load. Another option is playing off quicker recycling rather than relying solely on heavy traffic; if South Africa can win the gainline through speed of ball, rather than brute force alone, they’ll reduce the pressure on individual carriers.
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If South Africa can show they can generate momentum from multiple sources, it’ll make their attack less predictable and harder to suffocate in the knockouts. Sunday is the perfect testing ground for that evolution.
Attacking cohesion beyond first-phase
South Africa’s attacking blueprint often looks sharp off first-phase ball: a well-executed scrum strike or line-out play can unleash direct runners and get them over the gainline. But too often, momentum stalls by the second or third ruck. Structure dissipates, support lines flatten, and carriers find themselves isolated. Against Italy, moments of brilliance were punctuated by periods of disjointed recycling, which allowed the defence to reset. France, with their organised line speed and jackaling ability, will punish any such fragmentation.
The challenge is sustaining tempo and cohesion past that initial punch. That means greater clarity in second-phase roles: who is cleaning, who is carrying, and who is setting the next target. At times, the Boks have been guilty of overloading the breakdown with bodies, leaving few options to continue the attack. Against Italy scrum-halves occasionally looked up and had little choice but to throw a speculative ball down the line in the hope of some sort of shape materialising. This can’t happen against the truly top teams.
France defend well with width, which means the Boks must look to link phases, shifting the point of attack rather than going one-out repeatedly. This doesn’t mean playing recklessly wide early, but sequencing play so that momentum builds logically. Sunday is an ideal dress rehearsal: even if tries don’t flow, showing an ability to stay composed and connected beyond first phase will mark genuine progress. If South Africa can develop patience alongside power, their attack will become more resilient, a vital asset in knockout rugby.
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Whatever happens in Northampton, the quarterfinal ticket is already punched. But the France clash offers South Africa more than a free hit. It’s a live rehearsal against elite opposition. If they can tidy the line-out, connect their edges, share the carrying load, and build phases with patience, the Boks won’t just be making up the numbers in the last eight. They’ll be arriving with the kind of hardened edge that makes them dangerous.
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