Springbok Women celebrate famous win

The Springbok Women secured a first ever win on Italian soil at Stadio Omero Tognon in Pordenone on Saturday, with the visitors proving that they belong on the WXV Global Series stage.

South Africa scored six tries to four in their 41-29 victory over Italy, ranked three places higher than the South Africans on the world rankings.

Springbok Women co-head coaches Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September lauded the ruthlessness of their set piece, while Sizophila Solontsi, one of the co-captains on the day, said the fact that they wanted the victory more, made the difference in a dramatic match

“We were very strong in our set piece today, with our lineout drives in particular a very potent weapon,” said Johannes-Haupt.

“The biggest mistake we made in Wales last weekend was to allow them to get a grip on our lineout drives and a lot of focus this week was to make sure we are clinical in those areas. We were and the result proves that.”

She complimented the team for their decision making as well, saying that they played in the right areas of the field: “The players really deserve a lot of credit. They were not happy with what happened in Wales and worked hard this week to rectify the mistakes we made in Cardiff. We came here with a specific plan in mind, and they executed that very well.”

More to come for Springbok Women

Unfortunately, the Springbok Women arrived in Seville, Spain on Sunday without Libbie Janse van Rensburg and Ayanda Malinga, who returned to South Africa for further medical treatment and injury observations, with Mary Zulu called up to the squad.

Janse van Rensburg injured her ankle in Saturday’s 41-29 win over Italy, while Malinga is struggling with a knee injury sustained in Wales a week ago.

Byrhandré Dolf, who started the Italy match at flyhalf but left the field on Saturday for a head injury assessment, will complete her HIA 3 protocols on Monday, after which a call on her availability for the WXV Global Series Test against Spain will be made.

Big battle to come

The match against Spain in Seville on Sunday will be the final match in the three week WXV Global Series tour for the Springbok Women, who will also take on Ireland next month in a two-Test series in Cape Town to conclude their 2026 season.

The Bok Women got their preparations for the Test against Spain underway on Monday.