South Africa have been given the honour of opening the Women’s Rugby World Cup, with the tournament’s first match, against France, taking place at Eden Park in New Zealand in the very early hours of Saturday (3.05am).
France have traditionally been top three finishers at the World Cup, requiring South Africa to start in peak form to have ambitions of cracking the playoffs.
All 26 matches will be broadcast live on the SuperSport Rugby channel, but Access package viewers will also be able to enjoy the heroics of the Springbok women.
All of their matches, beginning with the pool games against England, France and Fiji, will be re-broadcast on SS Variety 4 (Access) later in the day. Saturday’s match, for instance, can be viewed at 6.20pm.
England, the reigning world champions and the most dominant team in the sport, are overwhelming favourites. They recently became the first international side to win 25 matches in a row.
More than 35 000 tickets have been sold for the opening day, a triple-header that includes Fiji against England (5.35am) and hosts New Zealand versus Australia (8.05am).
The Springboks’ quest will be led by lock forward Nolusindiso Booi in what will be the South African captain’s third World Cup.
“One has to understand the significance of this tournament and how it can elevate the women’s game on a global scale but, even more so, how it can promote the game back home in South Africa,” she said. “We want to touch the lives of young girls back home, we want to show them there is a future and a place for you if you play rugby. This is our opportunity indeed.”
South Africa’s other pool matches include fixtures against Fiji (October 16) and England (October 23).