Bok Women have right aura and attitude to achieve World Cup play-off objective

Daily Maverick

2 days ago

After disappointments of past Rugby World Cups, Swys de Bruin's team are confident they can finally reach the knockout stage.
'It's big. It's something that we never knew we would get. Things are changing and people know that there is a Springbok Women's team.'
This was the honest reflection of Springbok Women's captain and long-serving lock Nolusindiso Booi when she was asked how it felt seeing her face on a billboard before the team's 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup campaign.
Booi was speaking during a farewell dinner organised for the team by the South African Rugby Union (Saru) and headline sponsor FNB. The skipper is heading to her fourth World Cup, after which she will retire. She is one of the pioneers of women's rugby in South Africa and has created a path for future generations.
Having played rugby for so long, Booi has watched the landscape shift below her feet as interest in the team gradually increases. This steady growth of the game has injected belief into the Bok Women that at this World Cup they can finally snap their hoodoo of never reaching the knockout round.
Steady growth
The Bok Women only played their debut international Test match in 2004. Since then the team's growth has been slow — despite their male counterparts being one of the best rugby teams in the world. This is mostly due to a lack of resources in the women's game.
As Booi suggests, two decades after the Boks' international debut, the tide is finally turning. This has emboldened the team coached by former Lions mentor Swys de Bruin – who was appointed in August 2024. One of the biggest turnarounds is the fact that more women rugby players are now regularly exposed to competitive fixtures and the intensity required to succeed internationally.
They know what it's like to win and they know what it's like to lose. Both domestically and internationally, the calendar has swelled. This has been pivotal in producing the types of players De Bruin and his technical team have at their disposal for the England-hosted 2025 World Cup.
The Springboks will face Brazil, Italy and France at the global spectacle. Judging from the camaraderie that was in the air during their farewell in Sandton on Wednesday, the players are ready to rewrite the script when it comes to their World Cup performances.
'I can feel it'
At the 2021 World Cup in New Zealand, the Boks failed to win any of their matches after being grouped with England, France and Fiji.
In 2025, their opening match against Brazil presents a great opportunity for De Bruin's team to demonstrate the growth they have managed since that disappointing campaign.
'Coaching the men was an honour and something special, especially at the top level. It was fantastic. But this is something different, and in a way it is more special,' De Bruin said at the team's farewell.
'The sky is still the limit and what we can still achieve together is unreal. I can dream it, I can feel it and I can sense it. There is something great happening with this bunch,' the 65-year-old continued.
A bigger cause
A number of the Bok Women players come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and every time they put on the green-and-gold jersey they are fighting to break barriers for people from similar communities. Someone like Bok prop Babalwa Latsha is from the township of Khayelitsha and constantly speaks about the issues that plague the community. In an ideal world, this would not be fuel for the team to succeed. But it is.
'When there are trials and tribulations, they lift each other up. They are unreal and they have inspired me so much. My eyes are open,' said De Bruin on the atmosphere in the team since his takeover.
'We all know a lot of them come from tough times. So, they are appreciative [of this opportunity]. But they also feel that they belong. We've become a real family,' the Bok coach added.
This team may be quietly confident that it can make further strides when it comes to flying the Springbok Women flag, but at domestic level there remain some issues that have a direct impact on how well the Boks are able to perform.
The biggest one is the fact that many of the pool of players available to De Bruin are either amateurs or semi-professionals at the franchise level. In the Women's Premier Division, an annual domestic competition, only players from the dominant Bulls Daisies have professional contracts.
Professional league coming
SA Rugby says it is actively working on improving the standards of the local league. This will further strengthen the Boks in years to come.
'Let me take this moment to speak about our future. As we celebrate this team's departure, we acknowledge that we still have a lot of work ahead of us. This Springbok Women campaign is not a destination, it's a catalyst,' SA Rugby president Mark Alexander stated.
'We are currently hard at work preparing the launch of South Africa's first professional women's league in 2026. It's a necessity. We are actively mobilising the resources, partnerships and structural reforms required to address the long-standing shortcomings in our women's team,' Alexander added.
'We know that talent alone is not good enough. Our players deserve platforms, pathways and professional environments that reflect excellence.'
Something inside so strong
In a fitting turn of events, South African singer Lira serenaded the audience members at the farewell. The 46-year-old suffered a life-threatening stroke in 2022, but she has since recovered. Lira sang one her classics —
Something inside so strong.
'The higher you build your barriers, the taller I become,' say the first two lines of the song.
The Boks have had to shatter a number of barriers to find themselves in this position. A memorable campaign in England would add more momentum to their cause as they pave a way for future generations.
De Bruin's side will begin their campaign against Brazil on 24 August. A week later, they will clash with Italy. The Boks finish their campaign with a mega-clash against France on 7 September. DM