CAPE TOWN – The Springbok Women’s team will play three Tests in November – against Wales, Spain and Italy – in what marks the national side’s first tour since the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
This follows an SA Select Women’s tour to England last November where the team faced the British Army and England Academy team in a three-match tour. Interestingly, the Springbok Women played their first Test ever against Wales in 2004, while their last Test in 2014 was against Spain in their final Rugby World Cup clash in Marcoussis, France.
The team, which will coached by Stanley Raubenheimer, was initially set to face the UK Armed Forces, the Crawshays (the Welsh Barbarians) and Wales in two internationals. However, the new tour schedule will see them face the UK Armed Forces in London on Friday, 2 November, Wales at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday, 10 November, Spain at Olivia Nova in Valencia on Saturday, 17 November, and Italy at the Chersoni Stadium in Prato on Sunday, 25 November.
The squad will assemble in Stellenbosch on Sunday, 21 October, for a 10-day training camp, where Raubenheimer and his assistant coaches, Lungisa Kama and Eddie Myners, will put the structures in place for the tour. They will depart for Wales on Tuesday, 30 October.
“We are delighted that we will be playing three internationals,” said Raubenheimer. “But at the same time, we will be entering the unknown because we have been out of the international arena for the last four years.
“This tour, however, will serve as a good learning curve for the players, while at the same time allowing us to measure where we are as a team and what we have to do to compete successfully on the international stage.
“It will also be highly beneficial with an eye on attempting to qualify for the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup, because the more we compete internationally, the more we will learn and the better prepared we will be.”
Border will host their 6th successive Women’s Interprovincial final on 29 September after another unbeaten season. A Section results: KZN 36-13 Blue Bulls, Free State 12-26 Border. B Section results: Pumas 14-45 Leopards, Limpopo 12-52 Lions, Boland 17-10 SWD @Springboks pic.twitter.com/tbrWT0qlmQ
— Springbok Women (@WomenBoks) September 16, 2018
African News Agency (ANA)
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