Springbok Women prepare for back-to-back clashes against Ireland
The Springbok Women are closing out their WXV campaign and wrapping up an absolutely massive season with two games against Ireland at Athlone Stadium on 24 and 31 October. It’s been two decades since the one and only previous game these teams played against each other, so I think it’s safe to say we’ve been looking forward to this one.
That previous game took place at the 2006 Rugby World Cup, with Ireland taking a comfortable 37-0 victory. Of course, given when the last fixture took place, none of these players have faced each other before, which will have made preparations a tad more challenging than usual. But the Bok Women have set their sights on playing more games against the top ten teams, and it’s a challenge they will relish. And while this Bok Women team has made exponential progress in the 20 years that have elapsed since that World Cup game, they certainly won’t be underestimating the 5th ranked side in the world.
The Irish women have won the Women’s Six Nations twice, back in 2013 and 2015, with 2013 being a Grand Slam victory. They also won the 2023 WXV3 tournament, and, like their South African opponents, made it to the quarterfinals of the 2025 Rugby World Cup, before losing narrowly to France. This year, they’ve won five of the eight fixtures they’ve played thus far, and finished third in the Six Nations. Although they’ve lost two key players, Aoife Wafer and Sam Monaghan, to injury, they’ve named a strong, largely experienced, side for the first Test on Saturday.
The Bok Women have similarly lost a few standout players to injury recently. Talismanic captain, Babalwa Latsha, has been ruled out after suffering an ankle injury in the game against Spain earlier in October, which means the team will be led by Sizophila Solontsi on Saturday. Other injured players include Nombuyekezo Mdliki, who sustained a rib injury in the same game, Ayanda Malinga, who is recovering from a knee injury picked up during the game against Wales, and Libbie Janse van Rensburg, who sustained an ankle injury in the match against Italy. Playmaker Nadine Roos is also yet to return to action after suffering a serious knee injury while taking part in the Sevens series earlier in the year. Nonetheless, the coaches have selected a largely settled team for the clash this weekend.
It’s been a bumper year of action for the Bok Women, with the team already having played 11 games this year – more fixtures than they’ve ever played in one year, and with two still to come. Of those 11 games, they’ve won eight, losing a game apiece to the higher ranked USA and New Zealand, and suffering a shock defeat to Wales at the start of the WXV tournament. The Irish women have also lost one and won two WXV games this year, and so both sides will be very eager to end their campaigns on a high note.
The opportunity for these two teams to finally face each other again after 20 years will also provide two special milestones for players. South African prop, Yonela Nxingolo, will become only the second ever player to earn her 50th cap for the Springbok Women. It’s an incredible achievement, only previously accomplished by the now-retired Nolusindiso Booi. Now that the team is consistently playing more games each year, perhaps we can hope to see such milestones more frequently in the future. The Irish team will also be celebrating on Saturday, as their hooker, Neve Jones, will earn her 50th cap too.
And speaking of the number 50…tickets to the match at Athlone Stadium are a mere R50! What’s more, you can get four tickets for just R150. At a time when everyone has been complaining about ticket costs, this is fan-friendly pricing to say the least! If you don’t already have your tickets, get them here ASAP. And if you can’t make it to the stadium, both games will be shown on DSTV. Kick-off is at 15:00.
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