Bok Women look to use WXV 2 as a foundation with an eye on World Cup

Former Bok men’s consultant Swys de Bruin has been hired as a performance coach for the Bok Women.Photo: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images/Getty Images

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

22 Sep 2024

South Africa have shaken things up as they aim for new heights in the women’s rugby programme ahead of the World Cup.

South Africa begin their WXV 2 campaign against Japan – a tough opposition, but likely the easiest competitor in the tournament. The two sides will meet on Friday, 27 September, at Cape Town Stadium.

The three-tier WXV tournament is central to World Rugby’s ambition to accelerate the growth of the women’s game. WXV provides more competitive matches for unions, as well as greater profile and investment on the road to an expanded 16-team Women’s Rugby World Cup next year.

It’s the second successive year that South Africa is hosting the competition. In 2023, matches were played at the Athlone and Danie Craven stadiums, but Cape Town Stadium has replaced the latter.

There are three tiers of the competition with six teams in each. Teams qualify through regional competitions.

The quality of rugby in WXV 2 is expected to be higher than last year, given the formidable teams who have qualified.

South Africa have Japan, Australia, Italy, Scotland and Wales for company in a cross-pool format – each team plays three matches.

The sixth-placed regional position in the WXV 2 competition at the end of each season will be relegated to WXV 3. WXV 1 will be hosted in Canada and WXV 3 will return to Dubai.

Bok women Nadine Roos on her way to score against the Barbarians at Cape Town Stadium. (Photo: Getty Images)

The relegation of Manusina Samoa (WXV 2 last year) and Ireland’s victory in WXV 3 mean that Europe gained a place in WXV 2 for 2024 at the expense of Oceania.

If South Africa were to finish in sixth place and be relegated or – when promotion and relegation starts in WXV 1 in 2026 – be promoted, they would still need to qualify for either competition by winning the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup, which is Africa’s regional qualifier. The Springbok Women, though, have won every edition of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup.

South Africa remained competitive in last year’s WXV 2, finishing in third spot despite suffering losses to Italy (36-18) and Scotland (31-17). Their only victory came against Manusina Samoa (33-7) in their final match.

Read more: Bok Women forwards dominate over Spain in windy conditions in Cape Town

This year’s edition won’t get much easier as every team in WXV 2 is ranked higher than South Africa. Their opening-weekend competitors, Japan, are ranked one spot above them (11th). Japan finished fourth in WXV 2 last year.

South African Rugby Union (Saru) management have said explicitly that their ambitions for the Bok Women is for the team to rise to the top eight in the rankings. That climb can start immediately, in week one of WXV 2.

Saru has not just laid out those ambitions in hope, but has put plans in place to help the Springbok Women to excel. This includes hiring former Bok men’s consultant Swys de Bruin as a performance coach for the team on a contract expiring at the end of next year’s World Cup in England.

Former Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko, meanwhile, has taken the helm as Bok Women’s coach.

A new combination

Although being competitive at home during the three-week WXV 2 tournament is important, De Bruin has said that the ultimate goal is to perform well at next year’s World Cup, using WXV 2 as a foundation for the team’s growth. “When you plan a campaign for next year’s World Cup, you don’t want the final product now whatsoever. Every week we will try to introduce the next step and if that doesn’t work, maybe we’re moving too fast and need to settle down,” he said.

At the 2021 Rugby World Cup hosted in New Zealand, South Africa failed to win a match, finishing bottom of their pool, only picking up a solitary point by losing within seven points to Fiji.

“It’s early days,” De Bruin said this week. “The whole plan is to do well at the World Cup next year and there’s a few things that must happen [along the way].”

Read more: Springbok Women demonstrate their growing potential with victory over Barbarians

In building the team’s success, the performance coach has already made a big on-field change.

Regular flyhalf Libbie Janse van Rensburg, who started all the Bok Women matches in the 10 jersey at the previous World Cup, has been shifted to fullback.

In her place, Sevens star Nadine Roos, who has played most of her 15s rugby on the wing or at fullback, has been redeployed to flyhalf.

Former Bok men’s consultant Swys de Bruin has been hired as a performance coach for the Bok Women. (Photo: Carl Fourie / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

“The 9-10-15 spine is very important,” De Bruin said. “The way Libbie [Janse van Rensburg] calls the play from 15 is similar to the [Handré] Pollard and Willie le Roux combination. I see some similar things happening there.

“But at the moment, it’s not about picking a team for [now]. It’s about looking forward, and combinations especially.”

The reason for the change, he said, is getting Roos – who has proven her game-breaking ability – “closer to the action”.

“For me, Nadine is a special player. I just want to test her closer to the action and, up to now, what I see is very good. Her decision-making [is good] and she’s quick.

“She can make plays, she can play forward and she can play around players. That’s why I want to see the combination with Libbie at the back.

“What [Roos] does well with our centres is she knows when to put them into the half gaps. Up to now, she’s really caught my eye at 10,” he added.

Tough challenges

South Africa’s toughest pool match is likely to be their second against sixth-ranked Australia at Athlone Stadium on 5 October.

Australia have had a turbulent past few months, having finished fourth in the Pacific Four Series, losing all their matches – hence their relegation to WXV 2.

Nevertheless, Australia have consistently been ranked in the top five in the world and finished third in WXV 1 last year.

It is an opportunity, however, for South Africa to measure how much they have improved and grown since the coaching shake-up in August. It is also an opportunity to see how much the team still needs to develop with one eye on next year’s World Cup.

South Africa’s final group game is on 13 October at Cape Town Stadium against Italy, a team they know well, having faced off in the WXV 2 last season. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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A new combination

Tough challenges