If you’re planning a day of rugby viewing — whether at Loftus Versfeld or in front of the television — SA Rugby is hoping you’ll back both senior national teams.
As a reminder, both Bok sides – the men and the women – will be in action on Saturday in Pretoria, with the Springbok Women facing Canada in their crucial first Test at 1.30pm, followed by the Springboks’ clash against Italy at 5pm.
The latter is expected to draw over 40 000 spectators to the stadium, but SA Rugby president Mark Alexander is urging fans to show up early and support the Bok Women as well.
Despite the recent surge in commercial interest in SA Rugby — highlighted by new sponsorships with FNB and Pick n Pay, and a four-year extension with Hyundai earlier this week — support for the women’s game remains a concern.
SA Rugby have, however, implemented a more integrated sponsorship strategy in an effort to uplift all national teams.
“If you sponsor the Springboks, you sponsor all our brands,” said Alexander from Hyundai’s offices in Johannesburg on Thursday.
“We’ve got more money in the system, but corporate South Africa has not responded well to women’s sport yet. It’s a problem.
“We always say it’s important to advance women in our country, but very little is done by corporate SA. Thankfully, our sponsors are now stepping up to the plate.”
The Bok Women are currently 12th in the World Rugby rankings and are preparing for the upcoming World Cup in England this August, where they will compete in Pool C alongside France, Italy and Brazil. They have been hard at work preparing for the showpiece event this year, but Saturday's match will represent their most difficult assignment yet.
Nevertheless, Alexander believes the team, now led by former Lions coach Swys de Bruin, is on the right track.
“You can see the quality of coaches we’ve brought in,” he said. “Swys is leading the campaign for us, with his team.
“Every match they play, you can see the improvement. The women have bought into our systems, they are working as hard as the men, and I see many positive things happening in women’s rugby over the next few years.”
He acknowledged, however, that South Africa is playing catch-up compared to more established nations.
“The rest of the world has had a head start. They began investing in women’s sports years ago. We are catching up, and we hope our women will break into the top 10 — hopefully even better — by 2027.
“One has to be realistic. We are late joiners, but it’s important that our women do well at the World Cup.”
De Bruin has named an experienced squad for Saturday’s Test, with only five players capped fewer than 20 times, while veteran lock and captain Nolusindiso Booi will earn her 51st international appearance.
Nonetheless, it will be a stern examination for the Boks, who have never beaten second-ranked Canada in three previous meetings. On each occasion, the Maple Leafs have scored 50 points or more — most recently handing South Africa a 66-7 defeat in Madrid in 2023.
The Springboks, meanwhile, are expected to comfortably dispatch the Azzurri later in the day — their last meeting ending in a 62-12 win for the Boks in Genoa in 2022.
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