Cilliers headlines 30-player South Africa 'A' squad that will travel to Brazil

A total of nine capped Springbok Women have been included in a SA Women’s ‘A’ squad that will travel to Brazil at the end of August.

The 30-player Springbok Women Academy will gather for two camps in Somerset West before 26 players travel to South America to take on Brazil’s senior side on Monday 24 and Saturday 29 August in Brasilia and Sao Paulo.

Rugby Club Toulon Provence Méditerranée-bound back Jakkie Cilliers has been named in the squad as have fellow senior internationals Anusckha Ekron, Luchell Hanekom, Abigail Smit, Sino Bhengu, Zethu Gcaza, Insaaf Levy, Mary Zulu and Shaunique Alexander.

Hanekom and Zulu last turned out in green and gold in the Springboks’ successful Rugby Africa Women’s Cup campaign earlier this year.

A number of the squad most-recently represented the Junior Springbok Women team that lost back-t0-back fixtures against the USA Women’s U20s in Stellenbosch. This Friday the squad will travel to Pretoria to play a warm-up fixture against the Isuzu Bulls Daisies.

This weekend the senior Springbok Women squad will play Fiji in the first of two Tests in the Pacific Islands. Boks head coach Swys de Bruin has not travelled with the squad to Fiji, where fixtures will take place in Suva and Lakota, with assistant coaches Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September leading the tour.

In September and October the Springboks will play Wales, Italy and Ireland in the 2026 WXV Global Series.

Springbok Women Academy training squad

Forwards
Anusckha Ekron*, Iviwe Jonas, Anothando Khatshwa, Jada Davids, Luchell Hanekom*, Abigail Smit*, Kaylee Daniels, Courtney Hickson, Yonelisa Plaatjie, Kaylin Heuvel (all DHL Western Province), Sino Bhengu*, Avela Gwala (both Sharks Women), Karabo Lebotsa (Isuzu Bulls Daisies), Zethu Gcaza*, Emihle Mayitshe (both Border Ladies), Yonda Nokwe (EP Queens)

Backs
Insaaf Levy*, Anita Fazi (both DHL Western Province), Hayley Hardneck, Chloe Adams (both Sanlam Boland Dames), Mary Zulu* (Sharks Women), Lithalethu Nombakuse, Yhadwa de Vos, Yamkela Funani (all EP Queens), Lilitha Vakalisa (Border Ladies), Thobile Msizazwe, Shaunique Alexander*, Lidene Kruger, Jakkie Cilliers* (all Isuzu Bulls Daisies), Isabella Nel (unattached)

*capped senior players