South Africa’s Springbok Women began their WXV 2 campaign against Scotland. They showed progress and determination despite a 31-17 loss. Lisa Thomson’s try for Scotland highlighted their field dominance, with four more tries from rolling mauls. The Springbok Women responded with two impressive tries of their own.
The Springbok Women performed well in the scrum but struggled in the lineout and discipline areas. However, their performance was significantly better than four years ago when Scotland won by large margins.
South Africa had a good start with a penalty goal by Libbie Janse van Rensburg. Aseza Hele scored a try after a counter-attack led by Chuma Qawe, putting South Africa ahead. Scotland scored two tries before halftime, taking a 17-10 lead.
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In the second half, Leah Bartlett and Roseline Botes scored tries for South Africa, narrowing the gap to 24-17. Scotland thought they scored a fifth try, but it was ruled forward. Lisa Thomson sealed Scotland’s victory.
Italy also won their match against Japan, showing the competitiveness of this stage.
The scorers of the match were Aseza Hele, Roseline Botes, and Libbie Janse van Rensburg for South Africa, and Evie Gallagher, Lana Skeldon (2), Leah Bartlett, and Lisa Thomson for Scotland.
Although the Springbok Women lost, their resilience and commitment inspire rugby enthusiasts worldwide. The game against Scotland demonstrated their progress and prepared them for future challenges.
