Tayla Kinsey: Black Ferns matches a key Test of Bok Women's World Cup readiness
Experienced scrumhalf Tayla Kinsey says the Springbok Women's upcoming clashes against the Black Ferns XV will be a crucial test of their readiness for the World Cup.
Swys de Bruin happy with Bok Women's effort against powerful Canada
Canada eventually won by 33-5, but with 10 minutes left on the clock, the Bok Women were still in the game at 19-5.
"I was looking at the clock and what our next score would mean," said De Bruin afterwards.
"We then launched two great attacks and came metres from their line, but we lacked the composure to get that vital score and instead, they got this one over the line."
De Bruin said the growth the team have shown over the last two weeks against the second ranked team in the world was commendable and made him a proud coach.
"I will be the first one to admit that we are far from the finished product, but the improvement was real and we were in this match for a long time," added De Bruin.
"We only scored once, but had so many other opportunities and that was very pleasing. Those are all fixable errors. We needed these two Test matches to see where we are, and I am very happy with the report card thus far.
"We will regroup in a week and then start focusing on the Black Ferns XV matches and tweak and fine tune as we close our preparation for the World up. We wanted to play the best and I am happy with the outcomes so far. Make no mistake, this Canadian team is very, very good and we took them to the wire today."
Bok Women captain Nolusindiso Booi said the attitude of her team was a real treat: "We never stopped trying, we never stopped playing. Our coaches prepared us very well for this and we responded as best we could. It was also pleasing to see the crowds come early for our match. Sadly, we could not secure them the win, but we did them proud, that I know."
Booi, who is in line to be selected for her fourth Rugby World Cup, also complimented Canada: "They were really composed when it mattered and closed out the game in style. One could see why they are ranked where they are. We are not there yet, but I can honestly say that we are on track with our World Cup prep."
The Springbok Women will assemble in Cape Town next Sunday, 20 July to prepare for the two Black Ferns XV matches, at Athlone Stadium on 26 July and 2 August.
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Springbok Women performance coach Swys de Bruin has named a 32-woman squad to take on the Black Ferns XV in the final warm-up before the start of next month's Rugby World Cup in England.
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Playing in front of friends and family on Saturday will be a big motivator for the Springbok Women, and a chance for the players to show how far they have come in their journey to the World Cup.
Springbok Women show huge improvement despite defeat against Canada
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