Springbok Women demonstrate high level of play against USA national team despite series loss

The Springbok Women team has focused on the upcoming match against the USA at Ellis Park, relying on squad depth and the power of their forwards to cope with the absence of injured star Nadine Roos.

Impact of Player Injury

The loss of a player described as the 'X-factor' for the Springbok Women team, Nadine Roos, will not prevent the team from sticking to its playing style during the reception of the American squad this weekend in Johannesburg. Roos, who is the current SA Rugby Women's Player of the Year, is considered a superstar, and her absence is felt by any team during pre-season preparation.

Roos sustained a knee injury during the Bok Women’s Sevens game earlier this year and is expected to undergo a long recovery process over the coming weeks and months. Consequently, the 30-year-old athlete will miss the upcoming bilateral series against the USA, which starts on Saturday at Ellis Park (kick-off at 13:30) and continues a week later at Loftus Versfeld.

Significance of Nadine Roos

Nadine Roos is regarded as one of the best playmakers in world rugby currently. Due to her skills in the Sevens format and her versatility—she can play as a halfback, wingfield, or fullback—she presents a dangerous target for opposition defense, whether as a distributor, first receiver, or during counterattacks. Against the USA, who prefer an expansive game plan, she would have had numerous opportunities to attack the opposition's defensive line.

Team Strategy Adaptation

Nevertheless, the Bok Women will have to do without her participation. Assistant coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt is confident that the team possesses the necessary mental resilience, physical fitness, skills, and squad depth to handle this task, relying on players in positions #9: Unam Tosi, Felicia Jacobs, and Anakadia Minnar.

The latter played in the recent African Championship title defense for the Bok Women, starting against Madagascar and Kenya, and also came on as a substitute against Uganda, while Insaaf Levi—who is not part of the current 30-woman squad—served as a reserve. Johannes-Haupt explained that 'Nadine played in the nine position in our system.' He added that 'we have two players in the nine position who participated in the African Cup to bring them up to the required level. They all bring something to the team. We have adapted our playing style so they can achieve the best result with the players in our system.'

Tactical Preferences

The halfback lineup for this weekend will depend entirely on the bench selection, which will be announced at the team briefing on Thursday. It is expected that Tosi will start and may finish if coach Sviss de Bruin chooses a 6-2 formation. This formation is considered preferred because, as Johannes-Haupt explained, the Bok Women like to dominate the attack using their forward pack. He noted: 'We like to dominate up front, so our forward play will be the engine of the game. Later in the match we can become more expansive and open up to achieve our goals.'

Goals for the next two weeks include finding synergy, forward dominance in play, and utilizing backline advantages gained through dominance in possession. A victory will be sufficient reward for achieving these objectives.

The Springbok Women team is prepared for a high-intensity challenge against the USA national team in a historic match to be held in Johannesburg. Player Byrhandré Dolf believes that participation in sevens added skills that will be useful in the series of test matches against the USA.

Team Preparation for the Match

Springbok Women believe that the combination of sevens experience, overseas appearances, and a more competitive domestic championship has prepared them for the confrontation with the higher-ranked USA team. This comes despite South Africa's limited recent schedule of test matches.

While the Eagles team tested their mettle against global giants such as New Zealand, Canada, and Australia during the Pacific Four Series this year, South Africa has not faced a Top-20 team since the last Women's Rugby World Cup in England.

Coaching View on Intensity

Assistant coach Franzel September insists that the Bok Women have found other ways to raise their level before the first match between the two nations on South African soil. He noted that during training sessions in recent weeks, they tried to increase intensity to simulate the level expected in the test games.

September stated that although it is not exactly the same, they will be ready for the game if the opponents want to play a fast and dynamic match. He also emphasized that the squad benefited from players participating in the Pick n Pay Women's Super League, overseas competitions, and the Springbok Women's Sevens program.

Player Experience and Goals

Among the 30-player squad, 22 of whom participated in the last World Cup, September added that the group quickly regained its rhythm. He noted that the team knows the capabilities of the USA as a collective and has an idea of their playing style, but ultimately success will depend on their own performance this coming weekend.

Byrhandré Dolf is an example of development through different sports. This dynamic forward, who scored a record 27 points for South Africa at the last World Cup, returned from participating in the national sevens, believing that the short format added new dimensions to her game. She noted that she particularly enjoyed acquiring the habit of creating and finding space, which improved her footwork and acceleration.

Dolf admitted that due to her sevens commitments, she is unlikely to immediately return to reliable kicking duties, as experienced kickers are Libby Jansen van Rensburg and Jackie Silliers. Instead, her goal is to influence play while in possession and help South Africa achieve a convincing victory over one of the world's leading teams. She added that the team draws energy from the fans, and they will need that support against such a strong team as the USA.