Springbok Women off to flying start with record World Cup win over Brazil

The Springbok Women’s team are up and running at the World Cup and looking red hot after routing Brazil 66-6 at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton.

While the weakness of the opposition must be taken into account — Brazil are ranked 24th in the world, 12 places below the South Africans — the Bok Women stuck to their structures and ticked most of the boxes coach Swys de Bruin would have listed.

Apart from a flat patch in the middle of the first half, the Boks were impressive. The Brazilians never gave up and tackled like terriers, making this an ideal opening game for South Africa as they had a valuable workout in match conditions.

De Bruin will be pleased to have their first match out of the way, and attention now turns to next week’s clash with Italy, ranked seventh in the world and five places above the South Africans.

This was a historic occasion, as Brazil became the first South American country to qualify for the Women’s World Cup, while the Springbok Women celebrated their maiden victory at the tournament.

It was clear from the opening scrum, two minutes into the contest, that it would be one-way traffic. The Boks’ dominant shove earned a penalty, and from a subsequent scrum, No 8 Aseza Hele powered off the back to put Nadine Roos over for the first try. Hele then scored the second herself, dragging defenders over the line.

After a fiery start, the South Africans lost a little rhythm, with clumsy handling — dropped passes and a pass into touch — interrupting their flow. To their credit, Brazil showed plenty of fight.

The Boks went 20 minutes without scoring before Roos’ quick tap penalty near the line set up Hele for her second. The bonus-point try arrived on the stroke of half-time when slick handling sent Ayanda Malinga racing away down the wing.

The fifth try was a gem, beginning with a Roos break and chip from deep. Zintle Mpupha gathered, offloaded to Hele, and the No 8 galloped in for her hat-trick.

From there, the floodgates opened. Flyhalf Libbie Janse van Rensburg crossed after a powerful run from centre Aphiwe Ngwevu, and coach De Bruin emptied his bench just after the 50-minute mark.

Janse van Rensburg later grabbed a second with a long-range effort, while Ngwevu smashed over for another. Replacement Lerato Makua added her name to the scoresheet from a clever lineout move before Malinga sealed her brace with blistering pace down the touchline.

The emphatic 66-6 win provided a dream start for the Boks, but a far sterner test awaits against Italy.

Scorers

South Africa

Tries: Nadine Roos, Aseza Hele (3), Ayanda Malinga (2), Libbie Janse van Rensburg (2), Aphiwe Ngwevu, Lerato Makua. Conversions: Byrhandré Dolf (8)

Brazil

Penalties: Raquel Kochhann (2)

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