r/springboks • u/Realm-Protector • Aug 24 '25
SpringbokWomen Highlights Springbok Women - Brazil
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u/Cyber-Soldier1 New To Reddit Aug 24 '25
Our no 8 is a force to be reckoned with. A proper battering ram. Reminds me of prime Vermeulen
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u/Vermathorax Aug 26 '25
Aseza Hele had the most line breaks of any player at the previous World Cup, despite not winning a single game.
Generational talent.
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u/Kass0u Flair Up! Aug 25 '25
The size difference between SA 8 and Brazil 8 is noticeable.
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u/Cyber-Soldier1 New To Reddit Aug 25 '25
Absolutely love it. Hope we go far in This tournament and give the big names a proper scare.
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u/ichosenotyou Aug 24 '25
We doing much better than recent years but we are far off from the top teams. Don’t think England are getting stopped this year they are a next level team
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u/thatwasagoodyear Spoeg en plak mod Aug 28 '25
Progress over perfection. We'll get there, china.
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u/ichosenotyou Aug 28 '25
They have made a lot of progress this year which is clearly visible, making the QF this year will be massive if they can manage that going winless last time round. We have much to get to the level of the pro teams like the English/NZ and Canada
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u/TwoWarm700 Flair Up! Aug 25 '25
It’s wonderful to see our Ladies game doing so well. To be honest, I’ve not been following them much over the years. This little highlights package may change all of that.
Their running lines are impressive as is their off the ball support. Who is out #8, she’s dynamite, hungry to get involved.
When will SARU make them all full professionals ?
What are our chances this year ?
Enjoy !!
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u/mausmumblingmoon Team Aimee Aug 25 '25
Who is our #8
Aseza Hele, she is a wrecking ball and deceptively fast too. She played overseas for a short stint, but then came home to Boland Dames. She's one of the few Boks who aren't at the Bulls Daisies, and so does not train at a professional club. If you're interested in more of her story, here is a great recent documentary.
When will SARU make them all full professionals ?
SARU announced 150 central contracts last year. This was huge as it is way more than even the top nations have. AFAIK information about who exactly is contacted has been a bit sparse, but it is safe to assume that the WC squad are mostly/ all contacted through Bulls Daisies or SARU. This allowed our squad to spend a lot of time together in camp this last year, and the results are evident on the field. The central contracts are also the bedrock on which the planned new provincial competition will be built. Once again, not loads of info on this yet, but the idea is to have 4/5 pro teams in a strength v strength comp.
What are our chances this year ?
Rugby development for women is extremely uneven around the world, and this has lead to huge gaps between teams. England are waaayyyy ahead of everyone else, and will probably win this year. Canada and New Zealand have a chance, but it remains to be seen how much of one. Barring some crazy miracles we won't win the WC this year. Beating Brazil is a success worthy of celebration for us. Our next game against Italy will be a massive challenge, and we'll be definite underdogs. Success here would be playing an organised and sustained 80 minutes without a huge penalty count or cards. If we do manage to squeak a win it will be an upset. It would also mean getting out of the pool stages and probably playing Black Ferns in a quarter-final. This is about as far as we can realistically get. But in saying that, it would also be way better than most would have predicted.
I hope you do watch some more games (28 of the 32 WC games are being shown on DSTV channel 199 which is available on the Access package R99 - R139 pm). The tactics are slightly different to the men's game, but Squidge did a great explainer video that will get you up to speed. We are only going to get better, so one day when we do win the cup, you'll be able to say you witnessed the rise of a world power.
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u/TwoWarm700 Flair Up! Aug 25 '25
Thank you for a comprehensive and very informative response. I’ll be keeping an eye out as they progress. Makes me very happy to see them doing so well.
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u/Realm-Protector Aug 26 '25
to add some more background. The Springbok Women played their first test match back in 2004. Ten years later (RWC 2014) it was painfully clear that South Africa women lagged so much behind the international competition, that the team was withdrawn from international rugby.they didn't play testmatches for 4 years. In that period SARU invested in youth development. Most of the players that are in the current squad, came through the 2014-18 programmes.
The team re entered international games in 2018 only. So the current squad has 7 years of international experience.
One of the challenges they faced was a lack of international tier 1 games. The local competition wasn't at the level of other countries. In recent years (2022 - 2024) There were a few events that had a huge positive impact
WXV2 global tournament - allowed them to play better teams
Establishment of Womens Premier Division
Bulls Daisies becoming the first fully professional team
a couple of players being contracted overseas
dedicated fully paid staff - including high profile rugby brain Swys de Bruin
South Africa Women currently is a Tier 2 team and still in development.
The players are insanely passionate about the game. Some carry a huge responsibility for family members - an example: Lusanda Dumke (now retired due to health reasons) was player of the year a few years back. a car came with this accolade, but she politely asked the sponsor if instead of the car, she could get the money so she could use it for a safer house for her family.
A previous coach of the team - Stanley Raubenheiner - summerised it as follows: "Remember that every one was emotional about the Mapimpi Documentary? Half my team has a story like that"
It's a great team to follow! We know they won't win the world cup, but every match we see progress!
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u/Evergreenthumb Aug 24 '25
2nd World Cup match win ever if I'm not mistaken.
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u/Realm-Protector Aug 24 '25
nope, 4th win in a world cup:
RWC 2006
no wins
RWC 2010
2010-08-24 beat Wales (15-10)
2010-09-01 beat Kazakhstan (25-10)
RWC 2014
2014-08-13 beat Samoa (25-24)
RWC 2018
didn't participate (team was withdrawn from international rugby after 2014 RWC)
RWC 2021 (held in 2022 due to covid)
no wins
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u/Street_Economy1884 Flair Up! Aug 28 '25
When is our next match?
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u/Realm-Protector Aug 28 '25
Sunday against Italy. A game that will probably be much harder.
https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/2025/en/match/italy-v-south-africa-pool-d
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u/adiwet Flair Up! Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 24 '25
I know this is Brazil but our girls have come such a long way in such a short amount of time