Second Test added to Springbok Women’s itinerary

The Springbok Women will face Wales in Cardiff as part of their European tour in November, adding to the two fixtures already confirmed for their trip to the Northern Hemisphere.

The Springbok Women will kick off their tour against France in Vannes on 6 November, after which they will travel to the United Kingdom for the Test against Wales at Cardiff Arms Park a week later on Saturday, 13 November.

The tour will conclude with a historic match against the Barbarians Women as part of a unique double-header at Twickenham in London on 27 November, when the famous club will host men’ and women’s matches on the same day.

The last time the Springbok Women faced Wales was in 2018, on their first tour in four years, and they put in a spirited performance before losing by 19-5.

Stanley Raubenheimer named a squad of 33 players for the tour, which will be the Springbok Women’s first trip abroad since 2018, when they also played matches against the UK Armed Forces, Spain and Italy.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to Test ourselves against a team that will also be playing at the Rugby World Cup,” said Raubenheimer.

“This Test will give us another opportunity to further develop as a team, which is of massive value to our players and our management team. We are really looking forward to this match and the tour.”

According to Lynne Cantwell, the opportunity to tour and play against top-class international opposition will stand the team in good stead as they prepare for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand which kicks-off in 365 days from now.

Cantwell said: “The tour is shaping up to be a challenging outing for our squad, but the only way to improve will be to play regularly against international opposition.

“We’ve already made a big step up in various areas of the game and when in Europe, there will be more opportunities to fine tune as we build towards the Rugby World Cup.

“We are also hoping to confirm one more game for the tour to ensure the ladies are used to facing top-class opposition four weeks in a row.”

Confirmed tour opponents (with SA kick-off times):

Saturday, 6 November: France – Stade de la Rabine, Vannes (16h00)

Saturday, 13 November: Wales – Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff (13h15)

Saturday, 27 November: Barbarians Women – Twickenham, London (19h15)