The rain lashed down, the wind whipped across the training pitch, and the Springbok Women couldn’t have been happier. After a gruelling journey from Cape Town via Dubai, South Africa’s national side hit the ground running at Cardiff Metropolitan University on Monday, shaking off jet lag and embracing the elements as they began fine-tuning preparations for Friday’s WXV Global Series opener against Wales.

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Co-coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt watched her squad work through Monday’s session with satisfaction, pleased with what she saw despite some players still feeling the effects of Saturday’s long-haul flight from Cape Town.

“It was a good session and although some players were still a bit sore following the long haul flight that included a transit in Dubai, we did some good work today, with clarity the main focus,” Johannes-Haupt explained. “We brought some match simulation into the session as well and everybody understands their roles.”

From Cape Town sunshine to Cardiff showers

The Springbok Women departed South Africa on Saturday afternoon and finally touched down in the Welsh capital on Sunday evening.

The conditions couldn’t have been more different from what they left behind in Cape Town. Where South African sunshine had accompanied their final preparations before departure, Cardiff greeted them with wind and rain.

Johannes-Haupt’s response to the elements was refreshingly pragmatic. “Look, there is nothing you can do about the weather and it is going to be like this for the rest of the week, so the earlier we adapt the better,” she said. “We trained in sunshine before we came over, but this is not the end of the world. We have an opportunity to take on a class team like Wales and that is something we will be embracing this week.”

They didn’t travel halfway around the world to merely participate. They came to compete, to grow, and to prove they belong amongst the world’s elite.

The Welsh challenge: a history that demands rewriting

The statistics make for sobering reading. South Africa have won just two of their six matches against Wales. More damningly, they haven’t tasted victory over the Welsh since 2010, a 14-year drought that hangs over Friday’s encounter like the Cardiff rain clouds that greeted the Springbok Women on Monday.

The last time these sides met was in 2021, and whilst the Springbok Women have evolved considerably since then, so too have Wales. The hosts boast home advantage, favourable conditions, and the psychological edge that comes from knowing they’ve dominated this fixture for over a decade.

“We wanted to be part of the WXV Global Series for a reason and the main one was the opportunity to play the best teams in the world,” Johannes-Haupt stated. “That opportunity starts on Friday. It will be tough. Wales is also a forward-dominating team, like us, so it will be an interesting match-up.”

The challenge is immense. Wales will be backed by a partisan Cardiff Arms Park crowd, playing in conditions they know intimately, against opponents they’ve grown accustomed to beating.

Squad adjustment: Jacobs in for Minnaar

The Springbok Women departed Cape Town with a late personnel change that saw Anacadia Minnaar ruled out of the tour and replaced by Felicia Jacobs. In professional sport, last-minute adjustments can disrupt preparation and create uncertainty. Not in this case.

Jacobs, who toured with the squad to Fiji last month, slotted seamlessly into Monday’s session, her familiarity with the playing systems and squad dynamics evident throughout.

“Felicia has been part of the squad all season, so we would not have expected less. It is a pity that Anacadia could not travel, but this gives Felicia the opportunity to add more experience on the international stage and we are excited about her involvement,” the co-coach said.

The loose forward made her Test debut for South Africa against Wales in Cardiff back in 2019, so returning to the Welsh capital represents a homecoming of sorts. She knows the venue, understands the atmosphere, and brings experience that could prove invaluable when the intensity ramps up on Friday evening.

Friday looms

The Springbok Women have four days to sharpen their game plan, finalise their selection, and prepare mentally for what awaits at Cardiff Arms Park. The rain will continue. The wind won’t relent. Wales won’t give an inch.

The team announcement on Wednesday will provide the first concrete indication of how South Africa plans to approach the contest. Will they match Wales’s forward power directly, or will they look to move the Welsh pack around with pace and width? Will experience be prioritised, or will youth get its opportunity on the global stage?

The rain continued falling as Monday’s session concluded. The Springbok Women barely noticed. They were too busy preparing to rewrite history.