The Springbok Women’s Team received a hero’s welcome from the Gqeberha school girls’ teams at Motherwell NU 1 Rugby Stadium last Wednesday.
The national team was in the Friendly City last Sunday for their first WXC 2 training camp in Summerstrand.
According to Springbok Women’s Team manager, Thandiswa Nxomani, their team will play five games in the next two months and are optimistic the team will work very hard.
“Our fundamental aim with the camp in Gqeberha is to align rugby strategies and game plans with the newly-appointed coaching staff,” said Nxomani.
“Our coaching staff comprises the performance coach, Swys de Bruin, scrums coach, Laurian Johannes-Haupt, and backline and defence coaches, Bafana Nhleko and Franzel September. We have four uncapped players who were called up to a training squad of 44 who will attend a national training camp for the first time. These four newcomers are Amanda Ndlovu, Vanessa Holmes, and Nobuhle Mjwara, who come from Sharks, with Nombuyekezo Mdliki hailing from Border.”
Nxomani said the national women’s team camp would help to mould the team into a competitive side for their forthcoming games.
“We will face Barbarians’ women in a warm-up game on September 7, and we will play a test match against Spain on September 19, before the WXV 2 in which we take on Japan on September 27, Australia on October 5, and Italy on October 12. All the games take place in Cape Town.
“We prepare our team for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup that will take place in England from August 22 to September 27, 2025.”
The Springbok Women’s Squad conducted a rugby clinic, during which they introduced the girls to the rugby basics.
Douglas Mbopa Secondary School wing, Lukhanye Lolo, expressed her excitement as she was one of the players coached by the national team players.
“I am very happy to get this opportunity of being one of the players coached by the Springbok women’s team. This motivates us to take rugby seriously so that one day we play for the national team,” said Lolo.
Motherwell RFC president, Mziwoxolo Mpofu, said that he was very grateful to see the national team coaching the school girls in Motherwell.
“Some players are from Port Elizabeth and that motivates our players. This coaching clinic will help to draw other girls to play rugby and that is going to happen,” said Mpofu.
