Springbok women eye historic World Cup quarter-final spot against Italy

JOHANNESBURG - The Springbok Women take on Italy in York, England, on Sunday in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

The South Africans, who scored 10 tries in their opener against Brazil, face Italy - a team that has beaten them in both their previous meetings, in 2023 and 2024.

A victory for South Africa will secure them a place in the tournament quarter-finals for the first time in history.

The same pack that dominated against Brazil will start against Italy, with the same group of forwards set to come off the bench in Northampton.

“We have looked at the way they play and decided on this squad for this important match. They don’t like to play too much rugby in their own half, often opting to kick for territory, and that is where Nadine’s ability on the counterattack will be crucial. If you add the abilities of Byrhandré in open play, I think we will be effective in combating that,” said Springbok Women’s head coach Swys de Bruin.

De Bruin added that the team is not moving away from its traditional strengths but making tacticaladjustments against the eighth-ranked side in the world.

“We played as recently as last year’s WXV 2 in Cape Town and came up short, mainly due to our inability to deal with their kicking game. Hence the tweaks. Our pack will still look to impose physicality and, as they showed against Brazil, we are effective in set-piece play,” he said.

Captain Nolusindiso Booi, who will again lead the Springbok Women this weekend, said the team’s mindset has never been stronger.

“We know exactly what this result will mean for us as a squad, not only in this tournament but in the wider sense. A win will take us into the top ten of the world rankings for the first time and, even better, push us towards that playoff spot we worked so hard for. This is it for us, and we are ready,” said Booi.

Booi will extend her record as the most-capped Springbok Women’s player and captain, leading the team for the 25th time. She will be joined by teammates Babalwa Latsha (prop, 37), Sinazo Mcatshulwa (flanker, 39), and Lindelwa Gwala (hooker, 36), all of whom will extend their Test cap records in their respective positions.

Libbie Janse van Rensburg could add to her record tally of 219 career points for the Springbok Women, while Zintle Mpupha is poised to extend her record for most career tries (20).

Elsewhere in the World Cup, Saturday’s fixtures see Canada face Wales, Scotland meet Fiji, England take on Samoa, and the USA clash with Australia. On Sunday, Ireland play Spain, New Zealand face Japan, and France meet Brazil.