There was relief but also pride that the Springbok Women executed their mandate in Madagascar at the 2025 Rugby Africa Women's Cup, returning home victorious after wins over Uganda, Kenya and Madagascar, resulting in another continental title and trophy for the South Africans.
According to Springbok Women assistant coach Franzel September, the planning stages for this tournament was one thing, but the execution thereof was another and they are pleased that the young team delivered on several objectives planned.
“We came here with a clear view of what we wanted out of the tournament,” said September. “It was part of our Rugby World Cup preparations, but we also wanted the players to express themselves out there.
“We decided to bring a number of uncapped players here but there was never any doubt about their talent and ability. They showed in the provincial competition that they can mix it with our current Springboks, and they did not disappoint.
“One of the players just came to thank the coaches with tears in her eyes for getting the opportunity to showcase her talent on the international stage. We gave them the opportunity, and they used it.”
September said the moving parts come together nicely: “I am also happy that we could integrate some of our sevens players into our system, they did well, while we also had eight players in the squad that played in the previous Rugby World Cup, and they needed match time in their legs as well. It was a successful trip for the programme.”
Anathi Qolo, who captained the team to Madagascar, also praised the new players and said the fact that they won all three matches gave them confidence and a clear idea of what is needed in the green and gold.
“This was not an easy competition, make no mistake, the other teams tested us in many aspects of our play, and we had to work really hard as a team to achieve the desired results,” said Qolo.
Reflecting on the 61-17 victory over Madagascar on Sunday, Qolo said: “We executed today's game plan well. We knew they would want to go wide all the time, so had a plan to bring them back to our pack and it worked well.
“Overall, it was a success. We came to win, and we leave undefeated, so it was a successful mission.”
The team will return to South Africa on Monday.