More improvement on women’s radar
The quest to improve in every match will still dominate the mindset of the Springbok Women when they take on Kenya in their second match of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup at the Maki Stadium in Antananarivo, Madagascar, today.
For Laurian JohannesHaupt, the SA assistant coach, the 87-0 win over Cameroon in their opening match has been archived and they are looking to further improve against an opponent that is well known to the Bok Women.
Their last encounter, in Stellenbosch in August 2021, was much too close for comfort and SA only managed to squeeze out a victory with two late tries at the Danie Craven Stadium.
On Saturday, Kenya beat Madagascar 29-20 in their tournament opener.
“Cameroon was a bit of an unknown as we have not played them before, but we know very well what Kenya bring,” Johannes-Haupt said.
“They are physical and strong, and we are preparing ourselves to counter that.”
According to the coach, the wider plan of blooding new players is still intact, but today the strongest possible team will face Kenya.
The team were to be announced yesterday, but they have a clear vision of their approach for the match.
“We need to be physical and match them in that regard, while we want our bench to make an effect with their speed, so team selection will be around that plan,” she said.
“Kenya have shown in past encounters that they do not shy away from physical confrontations, while the addition of some of their Sevens’ stars brings flair and speed.
“We will be ready to counter that with our approach to the game.”
Johannes-Haupt, who is also the Junior Springbok Women’s head coach, said the way graduates from the SA Under20s had adjusted to the senior squad had been heart-warming as it reflected on the quality of the structures for junior women’s players.
Asiphe Mayaba made her debut against Cameroon, while Byrhandr–Dolf, Mary Zulu and Vainah Ubisi were capped on the Spain tour in March.
“They fitted in well with the senior players and we can now build on that depth towards the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England,” she said.
“That is still on the horizon though and for now, we have our eyes pretty much on the ground, ready for the next challenge, which will be a formidable opponent in Kenya.”
Johannes-Haupt said the importance of the game could not be underestimated.
“We need to win and do so in a way that shows our continued growth. We have set targets for every game and will be ready come [today].