'This is it. A seat at the top table': Springbok Women head into 'uncharted territory'

This is it. The promised land. Uncharted territory. A seat at the top table. On Saturday, South Africa will play in a World Cup quarter final for the first time in their history. And though defeat is likely, and anything tighter than a 20-point loss would constitute a moral triumph on the day, they’ve done it. Forget the result. The Springboks have achieved what they set out to achieve.

Try telling that to Swys de Bruin. South Africa’s coach might espouse a feel-good narrative, one where the numbers on the scoreboard are less important than the friends made along the way, but the team he has selected is one that means business.

The presence of seven forwards on the bench is a testament to de Bruin’s intent. Like the men’s team, the women’s side has revelled in the hype and pageantry of unloading a cluster of big units in one go. Against the Black Ferns, they intend to up the ante in a clear attempt to mix it with their more fancied opponents and target the tight channels around the fringe.

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

This has been a hallmark of the Springboks across their rapid rise over the past 13 months. When de Bruin took charge in August 2024, the team was seemingly incapable of lasting a full 80 minutes. They struggled for fluency and rhythm beyond four phases with ball in hand and would wilt on defence in the face of sustained pressure.

Now they are confrontational. Now they relish the scrap. Now they do everything they can to unleash charging ball carriers and create mismatches. Their evolution is proof that national rugby identities cut across gender. Just like their male counterparts, this group adores a scrum, feasts on mauls and pound the breakdown like Viking warriors storming a hill fort.

Much will depend on Aseza Hele, arguably the world’s premier number eight. From her three group games she’s made 160 metres with ball in hand from 26 carries while tackling at 91%. “She wants to run over people,” de Bruin said. “We need to do everything we can to let her do that.”

But she can’t do it alone. Against France, in a crushing 57-10 defeat, South Africa were unable to punch holes against a robust blue wall of defenders. Hele did her best, but when she was off the ball or on the ground those in bottle green were too easily repelled.

South Africa need a big game from their midfield pair. Without the suspended Chumisa Qawe, who was red-carded against France for a high shot on Marine Menager, the selected centres will have to produce something close to the games of their lives.

Aphiwe Ngwevu is a robust inside centre who will run hard and straight. The same is true for the woman outside her, Zintle Mphupha. But the selection of Eloise Webb as the sole back on the bench suggests that de Bruin’s primary concern is the longevity of his two battering rams in the 12/13 channel. They’ll be tested on either side of the ball. New Zealand will no doubt target their sphere of influence.

This is where South Africa struggled against Italy, especially in the first half where defenders were too easily sucked towards the ball, allowing for too much space past the second receiver. Few teams can stretch defensive lines as well as New Zealand and if South Africa have any hope of staying within arm’s length they have to be sharper between 13 and the tram.

The returning Libbie Janse van Rensburg, who was rested for the loss against France, is instrumental in this regard. Her physical build and style of play is perhaps better suited to a role in midfield. She is direct, prefers to scythe through a gap rather than stitch together an intricate move, and has the heft to bulldoze over tacklers and stop opposing ball carriers in their tracks. On defence, she might be shifted a little further adrift, allowing a forward to help Nadine Roos keep things tidy just beyond the fringe.

The plan on attack is clear: reduce the contest to a slugfest, frustrate the Black Ferns, force them into mistakes and pounce on loose balls. Roos’ deployment at scrum-half rather than full-back is telling. De Bruin will want players on the ball who can act incisively when rare opportunities are presented.

And they have to take them. Chances to put points on the board will not come easy. Discipline, fitness, focus; the Springboks have to operate at optimum efficiency throughout the game. Anything less could see them stare at a cricket score come the final whistle.

Which begs the question: what would success look like? Not even the most optimistic supporter will envision a win.

That would be the greatest upset in rugby history. Instead, South African fans and those invested in the fastest-improving outfit in the sport should turn their attention to the performance of those who have fought so hard for recognition and have reached heights their forebears could scarcely have imagined.

This is more than just a game. It is a chance to show the world how far this team has come in just 13 months. They’ve evolved from a side that struggled to complete four phases into a unit capable of sustaining pressure and delivering moments of real menace.

They’ll give the world champions a proper game, there’s no doubt about that. Whatever the result, this is an opportunity for a statement, a chance to underline a message that started as a whisper and is now a loud clarion call: South African women belong in this sport. They are here. They are loud. And they’re not going anywhere.

Fixture

Women's Rugby World Cup

New Zealand Women

46 - 17

Full-time

South Africa Women

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