Bok Women spring back into action with another Rugby Africa Women’s Cup title

Photo credit: Rugby Afrique

After what was arguably a transformational year in women’s rugby in 2025, we’ve been missing the special brand of gees our Springbok Women bring to the game. Happily, they were back in action in May, and have once again been crowned champions of Africa, after winning their fifth Rugby Africa Women’s Cup title. They remain the only team to have ever won the tournament, which this year took place in Nairobi, Kenya from 23-31 May.

They opened the tournament with a huge win against Madagascar, defeating last year’s hosts 64-5, before going on to win 47-20 against Uganda. This set them up for a thrilling finale against the prowling Kenya Lionesses, who had also racked up two wins in the tournament (43-10 v Uganda, and 57-0 v Madagascar), and were the only team to run the Bok Women close in the 2025 tournament. The Kenyan women were impressive in front of a vocal home crowd, and at half time, there was cause for the South Africans to be concerned, as they trailed 8-7. Fortunately, the Bok Women bounced back and emerged victorious, ultimately securing a 20-35 win over the Lionesses.

And while the thought of the Bok Women losing, and another team winning the tournament for the first time, was enough to get the heart racing far more than it should be on a Sunday afternoon, the Kenya Lionesses giving us pause (paws?) is what rugby needs. It’s no secret that the Bok Women are streets ahead of the other teams participating in the competition when it comes to meaningful game time, exposure to competitive sides, participation in top tier tournaments like the World Cup, and rankings. The Bok Women are currently ranked 10^th in the world, while Kenya is 21^st, Uganda 26^th, and Madagascar 36^th. There might be those who question the merit, or even the fairness, of South Africa playing in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup. Do Uganda or Madagascar benefit from being so comprehensively beaten every year? And what do the Bok Women (and perhaps the Kenya Lionesses) stand to gain from these uneven match ups?

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Setting aside the fact that at one point, this tournament was pretty much the only time the Springbok Women got any game time, I still think there is huge value in our participation for everyone involved. Even now, one of the biggest things followers of the women’s game cry out for is as much meaningful game time as possible for the Bok Women. This need is even more pronounced for the other teams in the tournament. In order to grow their game, it is crucial that they get the opportunity to play against teams, like South Africa, that stretch them. And while there are likely many factors at play, one thing is clear when looking at the tournament stats over the years – Kenya, Uganda, and Madagascar are scoring more points now across the competition than they were when it first started. Kenya and Uganda have also reduced the number of points scored against them.  And while they may be defeated by the South Africans each year, those margins of defeat are also decreasing for all three teams. Anecdotally, they are getting more competitive, even if it may be taking time. To accelerate the process, and give these teams, which form an important part of the foundation of women’s rugby on the continent, more access to meaningful game time, perhaps Rugby Africa could investigate opportunities to set up fixtures with countries that are travelling to SA to play the Bok Women.

Of course, South Africa’s participation in this tournament is not some noble act of charity by any means. The Springbok Women benefit greatly from the competition as well. This year, Swys de Bruin once again opted to send a less experienced squad to defend the title, and handed the coaching keys to assistants Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September. It’s an approach that allows the coaching staff to blood new players, test combinations, and build depth, while also strengthening their own Test-level experience. It also enabled the coaching staff to juggle competing fixtures – the reality is that, in the women’s game, many players participate in both 15s and 7s, and the final weekend of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup clashed with the Valladolid leg of the  Women’s Sevens Championship (where the SA women finished ninth). In addition, a number of senior players remained in South Africa to work on strength and conditioning with Swys. Ultimately, the squad of 28 Bok Women who travelled to Nairobi consisted of nine uncapped players, and a further seven with fewer than five caps. This presented a wonderful opportunity for them to get game time, and to learn from their more experienced teammates, nine of whom took part in last year’s Rugby World Cup. This strategy of sending a largely inexperienced squad with a core of more experienced players proved effective in 2025, and, despite some shaky moments in all three games, was clearly effective again this year. With important fixtures against the USA and the Black Ferns coming up in July and September respectively, this preparation is critical.

And yet, as I somewhat anxiously watched the game between the Bok Women and Kenya Lionesses on Sunday, I pondered how I would feel if Kenya were to claim victory (as they looked very capable of doing at many points during the game). Disappointed, and quite sad, for sure. But it would probably also be hard not to be happy for them, considering what a win against South Africa and claiming the title would mean to the Lionesses. Luckily, my anxious contemplation came to nothing this time, as the Bok Women prevailed. Nevertheless, if the other teams in the competition continue to make progress, and Kenya in particular keeps building a wonderfully competitive team, the day may come when our Bok Women are dethroned. That will be a tough day for us, but a promising one for the growth of women’s rugby in Africa. I look forward to seeing what the tournament delivers next year!