Springbok Women wing Ayanda Malinga can still recall the feeling they experienced by outplaying Italy at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England just over a year ago and said there is no reason why it cannot be repeated when the two sides face this weekend.
The test against Italy – South Africa’s second in the WXV Global Series – kicks off at 2:30pm (SA time) on Saturday in the Stadio Omero Tognon in Pordenone.
South Africa beat Italy by 29-24 in York on 31 August last year which helped them to qualify for the quarterfinals of the women’s global showpiece, a first for the Bok Women and a performance that elevated the team into the top 10 on the world rankings.
That ranking is still intact, but a 50-19 defeat to Wales in Cardiff last weekend was a sobering reminder that test rugby can be brutal if you are not at your very best, something Malinga said the team took to heart.
The squad arrived in Italy late on Sunday and on Monday started the week with a solid training session in Udine, where they are based for the week, with Malinga – who scored against Italy last year – saying that clarity brought confidence to group.
“That game will forever be in the memory bank, it was a special performance,” she said.
“That said, this week we started with a different mindset and feeling after the defeat, which stung. Today’s session perked us up again, we got some nice work done with a lot of clarity on how we can beat Italy.”
The speedster has scored 17 tries in 21 tests, but she attributes all those to team work, “Every try I scored started somewhere and I am just the one adding the finishing touches to it, so although it is under my name, the team own that try as well.
“Our forwards are so good at creating momentum and setting up space for the backs and when we combine, we are a good team.
“Italy will be coming for us hard, as that defeat in the World Cup knocked them out of the competition. We are prepared for that, I believe,” said Malinga.
Victory in Italy will also give all a reason to smile again.
“We need to redeem ourselves and make a statement on this tour, and this weekend is that opportunity,” Malinga said.
For fellow outside back, Maceala Samboya, the backline battle will be intense on the weekend, “They are improving all the time and the way they bring their backs into the game has been impressive. That is going to be a nice challenge for us, but we will come into this game ready and prepared.”
Samboya, who scored a try in the defeat to Wales, said that match is now history, “We gave ourselves 24 hours to reflect on that one and what went wrong. Now the focus moves to the next job and that is Italy.”
Meanwhile, Junior Springbok assistant coach Melusi Mthethwa has joined the squad for the remainder of the tour, and he will be assisting co-head coaches Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September to prepare the Bok Women for their tests against Italy and Spain (next weekend).
Dave Wessels, SA Rugby’s General Manager for High-Performance, assisted the squad in Wales and will join them in Italy later in the week as well.