How the Springbok Women reacted after 'proper Test match' against Fiji

Springbok Women assistant coach Franzel September said it was “mission accomplished” for the team after their completed a Test series whitewash against the Fijiana XV.

A week after South Africa had beaten Fiji 55-12 in Suva, the Boks battled their way to a 29-22 victory in Lautoka to wrap up the nation’s first-ever tour of Fiji with walkover success after two fixtures.

“We wanted a clean sweep, so that was mission accomplished,” September said. “We expected Fiji to come back stronger in the second test after winning 55-12 in the first and they did. This was a proper Test match.”

Maria Tshiremba’s second half hat-trick went a long way to securing a win in the second Test. The 30-year-old had already established herself as a danger to the whitewash with 64 tries in 20 HSBC SVNS tournaments.

Tshiremba admitted that she “could not help” herself from smiling before scoring. Having flirted with the Springbok Women set-up for several years, the wing finally got her chance on Saturday afternoon and took full advantage of it. Much to the pleasure of her coaches.

“The players and especially the coaches were really happy for Maria – we backed her and selected her for this match and she responded so well,” September said.

“We are very proud of her. It was also pleasing that a couple of the other combinations we tried worked well. From that perspective, we learned a lot and it is always pleasing when a player rewards the faith coaches put in her.”

After such domination in the first Test, South Africa were forced to ask questions a week later. The Fijiana kept play alive with their 16 offloads and seven clean breaks, all while having to overturn a 10-5 half-time deficit as Atelaite Buna and Adi Vani Buleki’s efforts wiped out that of Lindelwa Gwala.

It was a true display of perseverance by the Boks to turn the tide in the contest, as Tshiremba’s trio of tries and an effort from Vainah Ubisi helped the touring team go two from two.

“We were tested in different areas this time around and it was great for us as we needed to adapt and adjust our strategies,” September said.

“We have our DNA of first phase possession to fall back on to, but we also showed other areas of strength and that was a big plus for us.”

It will not be too long until the Springbok Women are back in action. As part of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, South Africa will host the Black Ferns at FNB Stadium in Johennesburg ahead of the third Test being contested by their male counterparts.

In September and October, Swys de Bruin’s side will play Test matches against Wales and Italy, before back-to-back clashes with Ireland on home soil.