The Springbok Women delivered a masterclass in forward physicality as they beat Spain by 36-19 (half-time 12-7) in cold and blustery conditions in Cape Town on Thursday afternoon, setting the perfect tone for WXV 2, starting in eight days’ time in the Mother City.
The South African pack monstered their Spanish opponents and laid the foundation for the win, with the introduction of a handful of second half replacements mimicking the Springboks’ Bomb Squad as they kept the visitors under the pump.
They didn’t only dominate the scrums and lineouts though, but also tackled with vigour, often forcing mistakes from their opponents.
The Springbok Women started the game on the back foot with Spain showing their attacking intent early, despite the swirling wind, but South Africa defended very well, even after losing Sanelisiwe Charlie to the sin bin for repeated infringements in the seventh minute.
The visitors finally found a hole in the SA defence when Amalia Argudo (flyhalf) sliced through from a clever inside pass on the Bok Women’s 22 to score under the uprights, adding the conversion herself to make it 7-0 after 20 minutes.
That sparked the host team to life though and a few minutes later, Aseza Hele burst over off the back of an attacking scrum for a classic No 8 try, smashing her way through three tackles. Jakkie Cilliers failed to convert but the South Africans were on the board.
The Bok Women slowly gained in confidence and took control of the match, with their pack laying a strong foundation, but at times, the backs looked a bit over-eager and were guilty of not running straight enough.
With five minutes to go in the first half, Lindelwa Gwala (hooker) put South Africa in the lead with a simple maul try, and Cilliers’ conversion made it 12-7. They had an opportunity to score late in the half, but failed to make it count.
The second half started in the same way with South Africa missing an opportunity to score early on, but they didn’t need a second invitation when Spain lost a player to the sin bin in the 53rd minute, with Gwala going over for her second maul try.
Cilliers converted to make it 19-7, but six minutes later the score changed to 24-7 when Libbie Janse van Rensburg (fullback) went over for her 11th Test try as the Bok Women sent the ball wide from another dominant scrum.
With that try, Janse van Rensburg also reached 200 Test points, becoming the first South African woman to pass this mark.
Spain’s replacement back Martina Marquez pulled one back for the visitors in the 65th minute, but then Vainah Ubisi (lock) capped yet another superb performance with a try from a lineout, taking the ball and crashing over as Spain expected another maul to be set.
When Shaunique Hess (left wing) intercepted with less than 10 minutes to go and sprinted 80m to score South Africa’s sixth try, the deal was done.
Spain came with one last surge, but it ended as it started, with South Africa on defence until Zahía Perez (centre) found a way through for her team’s third try after the buzzer had sounded.
Scorers:
Springbok Women 36 (12) – Tries: Aseza Hele, Lindelwa Gwala (2), Libbie Janse van Rensburg, Vainah Ubisi, Shaunique Hess. Conversions: Jakkie Cilliers (3).
Spain 19 (7) – Tries: Amalia Argudo, Martina Marquez, Zahía Perez. Conversions: Argudo, Naroa Azpitarte.
SA Rugby