women’s rugby
women’s internationals
Laurian Johannes-Haupt, the assistant coach for the Springbok Women, expressed great satisfaction with her squad’s commanding 55-12 victory over Fiji in Suva on Saturday afternoon.
Throughout the 80-minute match, South Africa established a significant lead thanks to tries scored by Nombuyekezo Mdliki, Lindelwa Gwala, Vainah Ubisi, Sizophila Solontsi, Maceala Samboya, Byrhandre Dolf, Sinelitha Noxeke, and a double from Xoliswa Khuzwayo.
South African captain Libbie Janse van Rensburg successfully converted two tries, and Dolf added another three conversions. Furthermore, Shiniqwa Lamprecht, a standout player from the Springbok Women Sevens team, earned her first Test start.
Points for the Fijiana XV came via tries from Varanaise Qoro and Adi Vani Buleki, with Litiana Vueti adding a single conversion. Additionally, Fiji’s number eight, Alfreda Fisher, was sent off with a red card in the 46th minute of play.
“Our success wasn’t dependent on just a single aspect of play; we possessed offensive threats across the board, which was highly encouraging and highlighted a collective squad effort,” commented Johannes-Haupt.
“I was deeply impressed by how seamlessly our sevens players blended into the squad, executing their roles excellently and meeting the challenge head-on today.
“It was also wonderful to watch them play with such freedom and express their creativity on the pitch. While our set-pieces served as our starting point, the players frequently adjusted to the unfolding situation in front of them, which is precisely the kind of decision-making we encourage.”
The Springboks are scheduled to face Fiji once more next weekend in Lautoka for the second match of their double-header series. In this game, Janse van Rensburg further solidified her position as South Africa’s leading point scorer of all time, while also becoming only the 12th individual to lead the national side as captain since their inaugural international appearance in 2004.
Reflecting on the match, Libbie Janse van Rensburg remarked: “There is a wonderful atmosphere in the locker room at the moment. Our goal was to kick off this initial Test match with high intensity, and we managed to do just that.
“Our first-phase execution was highly effective—our set-pieces, including scrums, lineouts, and rolling mauls, operated smoothly and provided the base for our victory.
“While our work at the breakdowns did not consistently produce the quick ball we hoped for early on, we corrected this after halftime, and the improvement was clearly reflected in the eventual scoreline.”
