Johannesburg – The Springbok Women’s team has arrived in Auckland for the Cup and they are not there simply to make up the numbers, according to assistant coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt.
The South African women play France in their Cup opener on October 8 (kick-off 3.15am, SA time) and Johannes-Haupt points out her players are way better prepared than they would have been had the tournament taken place a year ago when it was supposed to, and not been postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The extra year was a blessing in disguise as it allowed the Bok women to pack another eight Tests and two friendly internationals into the calendar, hence they have arrived in New Zealand much better prepared for their Pool C matches against France, Fiji and England.
“We are not here to only compete; we are here to win,” the former Bok prop said boldly. “I want to give credit to our Springbok Women and the way they have improved over the last couple of years – they have really put in a lot of hard work, and extra work, to get to the next level.”
This year, the Bok Women won their first ever overseas match when they beat Japan and they won a series against Spain in South Africa.
“The players are also looking after themselves well — they made the mindset switch that in order to become a better player, you need to look after yourself as well, mentally and physically. The team’s progress is there for all to see,” added Johannes-Haupt, who represented the team in the 2014 Cup.
“You could see this year in the SA Rugby Women’s Premier Division when the national players played for their provinces, there was a clear difference between them and their provincial teammates. That growth has seen the team progress to beating the likes of Japan and Spain.”
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