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Black Ferns survive scare: Four takeaways from New Zealand v South Africa
By Martyn Thomas at Sandy Park, Exeter
New Zealand booked their place in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 semi-finals with a 46-17 victory against South Africa, but they were made to work for it.
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The Springbok Women dominated the opening 20 minutes and took a deserved lead when Babalwa Latsha burrowed over.
The Black Ferns battled back to lead 10-5 as Theresa Setefano and Braxton Sorensen-McGee went over. However, South Africa levelled the scores on the stroke of half-time as Aphiwe Ngwevu finished off a remarkable team try.
New Zealand found their groove in the second half to score a further six tries to South Africa’s one, but the Springbok Women will be rightly proud of their effort in Exeter.
This is what we learned from a pulsating quarter-final at Sandy Park.
Springbok Women provide tricks and treats
Talk at the breakfast table this morning centred primarily on how the Springbok Women would attack the match. One colleague was confident they had some trick plays up their sleeve – she was proved right in the Sandy Park sunshine.
It quickly became apparent that South Africa had come to play, and to the beat of their own magnificent drum.
Nowhere was that more obvious than at lineout time, where the Springbok Women had clearly worked on several trick plays designed to unsettle the six-time world champions.
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The Black Ferns had not lost a Rugby World Cup match in 11 years ahead of kick off, yet they were played off the pitch for the opening quarter and majority of the first half.
South Africa set the foundations for that dominance in the set piece, strong-arming New Zealand at the scrum and out-foxing them at the lineout.
Hooker Lindelwa Gwala’s first throw of the match went to diminutive full-back Byrhandre Dolf, her second was long to a rampaging Libbie Janse van Rensburg.
But the unorthodox tactics weren’t just for show. At the end of the half, South Africa committed 13 players to a lineout, Gwala picking out scrum-half Nadine Roos with her throw.
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The Springbok Women then stuck the ball up their collective jumper and marched their way 25 yards up the pitch and to the New Zealand line, where centre Ngwevu burrowed over for a try that tied the scores at 10-10 at the break.
New Zealand pulled away in the second 40 but they had been given an almighty scare by a South Africa team that has highlighted its potential in England.
Black Ferns lack forward punch
The Black Ferns might be through to the semi-finals but they will need to improve up front if they are to make it 19 World Cup wins in a row next weekend.
Should they get past Australia later on Saturday then Canada will be confident of causing New Zealand problems for longer than South Africa managed in Exeter.
Both Canada and England – who would potentially lie in wait in the final on 27 September – pride themselves on their forward play and will have been licking their lips during the first half at Sandy Park.
Although they did not fully disrupt the Black Ferns scrum, the Springbok Women had the upper hand and were well in control of that facet of the game.
Much of their success in the loose, moreover, came from creating opportunities to utilise their driving maul where they might not usually present themselves. At one point doing so from a blindside scrum move.
New Zealand struggled to contain that forward power for 40 minutes and you can imagine Kevin Rouet, Sophie de Goede and Co. will be watching the tape this week and making notes.
New Zealand show champion resilience
Heading into half-time the Black Ferns looked shell-shocked. Tied at 10-10 with a team they were heavy favourites to beat.
Yet it is in those moments that champions stand up and it is to their credit that New Zealand set about fixing things before they’d even left the pitch.
The players gathered into a huddle to take stock of the opening 40 minutes and digest the equalising try they had conceded moments earlier.
New Zealand’s players then headed down the tunnel before re-emerging long before their opponents with a steely determination etched into their collective demeanour.
What followed was as dominant a second half as you are likely to see in these quarter-finals as the black jerseys spent much of the ensuing 40 minutes camped inside the South African 22.
Their endeavour was rewarded with a try within a minute of the restart and from that moment on there was only going to be one winner.
Waaka deserves her flowers
Stacey Waaka started her afternoon by leading the Black Ferns onto the Sandy Park pitch, in recognition of her 30th Test cap.
And the ‘smiling assassin’ spent much of the ensuing 80 minutes in the thick of the action, leading by example and providing an assured class to proceedings.
Waaka is one of the world’s best players and would have compiled many more international appearances were it not for her commitments on the sevens pitch, and the relative lack of matches that New Zealand play.
She was at her absolute peak in Exeter, providing a rare piece attacking spark early in the first half and was sturdy in defence, completing 10 tackles as New Zealand were required to dig in.
In the second half a little more space opened up in which she could showcase her dazzling footwork.
And Waaka did exactly that in the 54th minute, riding a tackle on the left wing and then providing the perfect offload for Player of the Match Kaipo Olsen-Baker to score her second try.
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