The development of women’s rugby in South Africa took another big step forward on Monday when the second annual Betway Women’s Club Championship (WCC) kicked off in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
Defending champions KWARU (EP) will join last year’s beaten finalists, Walker Babes (Boland), Pirates (Lions) and Harlequins (Bulls) in Wednesday’s Premier Division Cup semifinals, after eight matches and almost 500 minutes of high-quality women’s rugby at the Alberton Rugby Club, south of Johannesburg.
On the evidence of Monday’s action, the week-long event has delivered a dramatic improvement in the quality of the teams on display, compared with last year’s pioneering event.
Increased physicality and structures – both in attack and on defence – were a hallmark of the day’s play, which augurs well for the future of the women’s game at this level.
KWARU –who made history last year when they became the first team to win the title – showed their championship class in Monday’s main match when they withstood an early onslaught from DUT to reach the final four thanks to an impressive 29-5 victory spearheaded by flyhalf and player of the match, Junior Springbok representative Julene Haas.
Walker Babes, Pirates and Quins were no less impressive en route to the business end of the tournament, with wins over Mqanduli Sharks, Busy Bees and Collegians Valkyries respectively.
The Betway WCC – as is the case in the Pick n Pay Gold Cup for men – excludes FNB Varsity Cup teams but this year has once again allowed the participation of teams from four tertiary institutions that have not as yet participated in the Varsity Cup: DUT (Sharks), VUT (Valke), Sol Plaatje University (Griquas) and the University of Limpopo (Limpopo).
This year’s draw is also unchanged from 2025: 16 top women’s club teams – one from each of the 15 provincial unions together with defending champions KWARU – will play three days of rugby, in a format similar to that of the FNB Youth Weeks, with the tournament set to conclude on Friday. The teams are once again split into two divisions of eight teams each, based on the rankings from last year’s tournament.
The honour of scoring the first points in 2026 went to Nelspruit fullback Alicia Mahlalela, who crossed for the first of her two tries in the 11th minute as the Mpumalanga outfit beat Welkom (Griffons) 39-7 in the first match of the day, in the First Division.
Nelspruit scored three first-half tries and followed up with another four after the break, with centre and player of the match, Pauline Sianga, also bagging a brace, in addition to nailing the conversion of flyhalf Qhawekazi Mdolomba’s five-pointer just after the break.
For Welkom, who trailed by just eight points at halftime before Nelspruit’s all-round game proved too much for the Northern Free Staters to withstand, centre Thato Rantai scored a try, converted by wing Blantina Lethoko.
In the day’s other three First Division fixtures, Sol Plaatje University beat their student compatriots from the University of Limpopo 19-7, thanks to a player-of-the-match performance from left wing Maserati Bangaza.
Vaal University of Technology (Valke) were too strong for the Leopards’ Potch Dorp, running out 51-5 victors with VUT No 8 and player of the match, Noluyanda Mtshweni, crossing twice in a nine-try rout.
In the final First Division clash, Middelburg Stomers centre Ywaydha de Vos – who trained with the Junior Springbok Women earlier this year – scored a memorable try in a player-of-the-match performance for the EP club, but it was not enough to prevent Titans (SWD) from snatching a narrow 14-12 win.
The afternoon’s Premier Division matches kicked off with a bang when Pretoria’s Harlequins held out for a 29-20 win over Collegians Valkyries (Free State) in a high-quality tussle.
Quins took just three minutes to get onto the scoresheet, hooker Minge van Rensburg diving over for centre Klarissa van der Linden to successfully slot the first of four kicks on the day.
With both sides scoring four tries, it was Van der Linden’s accurate boot – and an heroic performance from loosehead prop Lesedi Malefo that earned her a player-of-the-match medal – that ultimately proved to be the difference between two well-matched sides.
In one of the most keenly anticipated matches of the day, local side Pirates announced themselves as title contenders with an impressive 24-10 victory over Western Province’s Busy Bees.
The contest was anything but as comprehensive as the final scoreline suggests, with both sides stalemated at the break before some individual magic from the Gautengers side pulled them through and into the semifinals.
Pirates looked set to take a slender 5-0 lead into the break, but Busy Bees had other ideas, scrumhalf Mizo Mkoba darting over after the hooter to tie the scores.
Pirates scored just after the resumption when a well-timed cut-out pass found wing Catherine Stacey, who crossed in the left-hand corner but then had the presence of mind to outpace the in-goal defence to dot down underneath the sticks for centre Rumandi Potgieter, who has played test rugby for South Africa, to convert and open up a seven-point lead.
But Busy Bees were not yet done, and from a tap penalty close to the line, it was eventually Sivuyisiwe Sisusa who went over to cut the deficit to just two points, flyhalf Sesethu Mtshazi miscuing her attempted drop-kick conversion.
The biggest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for player of the match Potgieter, who dotted down underneath the posts after a spectacular turnover breakaway near Pirates’ own line, just when it seemed that Busy Bees were set to score once more.
Wing Andiswa Maseko galloped all of 60 metres but with the cover defence closing in on the angle, she kept her composure and lobbed a perfect inside ball to an onrushing Potgieter, who went over untouched.
Pirates finally put the match to bed four minutes from time when a perfectly executed lineout rolling maul saw Kamogelo Thloloe force her way over the line to send her team into the final four.
In the day’s penultimate match, Border’s Mqanduli Sharks were no match for Walker Babes, who scored six tries on their way to a comfortable 38-5 win that signalled in no uncertain terms their title ambitions.
But the day ultimately belonged to KWARU. The champions showed admirable grit to hold off DUT’s early energy, before putting on the kind of champion display that would have sent a clear message to their fellow title contenders.
Lock Hlomla Puzi scored a brace – once to open the scoring and once to finish it – while tighthead prop Ziyanda Gqontshi also crashed over in a first half in which DUT threw everything they had at the defending champions, to trail by just five points at the break.
However, KWARU effortlessly shifted through the gears after the resumption, with flyhalf Haas, centre Thando Hena and tight forward Puzi adding the finishing touches to a superb second-half team effort.
Scorers – First Division Day 1:
Welkom 7 (7), Nelspruit 39 (15)
Welkom – Try: Thato Rantai. Conversion: Blantina Lethoko.
Nelspruit – Tries: Alicia Mahlalela (2), Pauline Sianga (2), Megan Guambe, Qhawekazi Mdolomba, Sesihle Maguga. Conversions: Sianga, Maguga.
Sol Plaatje University 19 (7), University of Limpopo 7 (0)
Sol Plaatjie University – Tries: Maserati Bangaza, Jennielee van Nel, Lowis Mathebula. Conversions: Juanine Jacobs (2).
University of Limpopo – Try: Ndiyakholwa Kolisi. Conversion: Itumeleng Mkhari.
Potch Dorp 5 (0), Vaal University of Technology 51 (27)
Potch Dorp – Try: Verana van Heerden.
VUT – Tries: Noluyanda Mtshweni (2), Asanda Mtungwa, Megan Mboweni, Londeka Ntanzi, Lucia Xosana (2), Nosipho Nkosi, Benedicte Safii. Conversions: Ntanzi (3).
Titans 14 (7), Middelburg Stormers 12 (0)
Titans – Tries: Amey Harker, Siphenathi Yeko. Conversions: Yeko (2).
Middelburg Stormers – Tries: Ywaydha de Vos, Shanice Scholtz. Conversion: Scholtz.
Scorers – Premier Division Day 1:
Harlequins 29 (21), Collegians Valkyries 20 (10)
Harlequins – Tries: Minge van Rensburg, Keletso Ramfolo, Uzubenam Mbangi, Loza Lonwabo. Conversions: Klarissa van der Linden (3), Penalty: Van der Linden.
Collegians Valkyries – Tries: Vuyelwa Mosala (2), Thotwane Ntlhafu, Mookho Lesoetsa.
Busy Bees 10 (5), Pirates 24 (5)
Busy Bees – Tries: Mizo Mkoba, Sivuyisiwe Sisusa.
Pirates – Tries: Danielle Visagie, Catherine Stacey, Rumandi Potgieter, Kamogelo Thloloe. Conversions: Potgieter (2).
Walker Babes 38 (7), Mqanduli Sharks 5 (0)
Walker Babes – Tries: Yola Lumko, Olwethu Tshaka (2), Emihle Ndehle, Amanda Klassen (2). Conversions: Chloe Adams (4).
Mqanduli Sharks – Try: Koni Deda.
KWARU 29 (10), Durban University of Technology 5 (5)
KWARU – Tries: Hlomla Puzi (2), Ziyanda Gqontshi, Julene Haas, Thando Hena. Conversions: Haas (2).
DUT – Try: Elam Zonele.
● The fixtures for Wednesday’s second day at Alberton Rugby Club have been confirmed: