By: Bon Miguela Nhlapo
Springbok Women co-head coach Franzel September believes his side can bounce back against Ireland in the second Test after identifying costly mistakes that contributed to their defeat in Cape Town on Saturday.
Ireland wrapped up the WXV Global Series encounter with a 40-27 victory at Athlone Stadium, scoring six tries to South Africa’s five.
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September attributed the defeat to what he described as “soft moments”, insisting that the team could address its shortcomings ahead of the rematch.
We had a number of opportunities in their red zone and then spilled it. That is not us. We had two mauls stopped five metres from their line. That is not us. We can fix that, though, so that is why I believe we can turn this around next weekend,” he said.
He also highlighted defensive lapses that allowed Ireland to score, adding that improving their defensive performance would be a priority during the week.
Their one try came from four, five phases and our defence is normally better than that, so that will be a work-on for next week,” September said.
Co-head coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt echoed his sentiments, acknowledging Ireland’s performance while expressing confidence that the Springbok Women could correct their mistakes and deliver a more clinical display in both attack and defence.
They outplayed us at times, but we can fix what happened,” Johannes-Haupt said.
Vice-captain Unam Tose also expressed disappointment with the result, acknowledging the team’s responsibility to inspire young girls who aspire to pursue rugby professionally.
Today we disappointed a lot of people by not getting a result that we are capable of. We do want to inspire others, especially young girls to take up the game, but then we must make them proud. That is why today’s result was so disappointing,” Tose said.
The Springbok Women will now turn their attention to a week of preparation as they look to rectify their mistakes and respond strongly in the second encounter.
The second Test against Ireland will take place on Saturday, 31 October, with kick-off scheduled for 15:00. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.