Their Springbok Women’s historic win against Japan confirmed the belief that their preparations are on track and showed the squad that it is possible to beat teams with a better work ranking.
The fact that they can do so again barely two weeks later will be a huge motivating factor for the Springbok Women to topple Spain as well when the two teams clash at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on Saturday, in the first of two Women's Winter Series test matches.
Springbok Women scrumhalf Unam Tose feels the way the squad prepared this week bodes well for their clash against Spain, who have won all three previous encounters between the two countries. The last time was in 2019, when the Spanish won 29-12 in Despatch, a match Tose was part of.
“We gave them the match that day, we did not play at our best, that is the memory I have of that match,” the 22-year-old recalls. “We certainly are not planning to do the same on Saturday.”
Tose will make a rare start for the Springbok Women, having played all but one of her eight test matches off the bench, and she is excited by the prospect.
“I last started in 2019, so this is an exciting opportunity,” she said.
“It will be a personal challenge as well, but one that I look forward too. Coming off the bench gives one time to read the game and feel the intensity and flow of the game, so when you go onto the field, you know what to expect and that to do.
“This time around, with me starting, it means that I will have to be in the game from the start and making the right decisions immediately. There will not be time to first look, I will have to be in the game from the start and that is something that I look forward to.”
Tose does not mind the pressure that comes with starting the game and she feels the momentum of winning needs to be sustained.
“There will be extra pressure because I don’t have the advantage of watching from the side first, but I am ready for that,” she said.
“I can feel we are ready for another win. We are looking strong and trained well, and the win over Japan made the confidence go higher.
“We are wearing the green and gold tomorrow and that will inspire us to do our absolute best. We are playing for our country and that demands our best effort. The fact that this team have bonded so well make it a pleasure to play for them.”
The players are known to break out in song often and for Tose that is the fun part of being a Springbok Women's player: “Where I come from in the Eastern Cape (Tsholomnqa), we sing when things are not going well and that give us strength. The same applies to this team and that makes me feel at home.”
Previous results against Spain:
17 August 2014 (Paris, France): Spain won 36-0
17 November 2018 (Nilijyoso, Spain): Spain won 17-5
21 September 2019 (Despatch, South Africa): Spain won 29-12
Match details:
Date: Saturday 13 August
Venue: Emirates Airline Park
Kick-off: 13h00
Referee: Clara Munarini (Italy)
TV: SuperSport 211