The Springbok Women have built their recent rise on one of the most formidable set-pieces in the women’s game, but assistant coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt believes Saturday’s victory over the US proved they are becoming far more than a side that relies on brute force.
While South Africa’s scrum and breakdown once again laid the platform for their impressive 34-21 victory over the eighth-ranked Eagles at Ellis Park, forwards coach Johannes-Haupt believes the team’s growing attacking repertoire is finally beginning to match its traditional strengths.
The Bok Women returned to training at St John’s College in Johannesburg on Monday with their focus firmly on Saturday’s second Test at Loftus Versfeld, where they hope to produce a more complete performance after allowing the USA back into the contest during the second half.
For Johannes-Haupt, however, the biggest positive from the opening Test was confirmation that the Springbok Women can now hurt opponents in more ways than one.
“Our skill set has definitely improved over time,” Johannes-Haupt said.
“We are definitely a set-piece team, but our overall game has now shaped very nicely into what we want to play. We want to play different types of rugby and now we just get to showcase that
That evolution was evident throughout a dominant opening 40 minutes at Ellis Park. South Africa mixed their trademark forward power with greater ambition in attack, moving the ball confidently through the hands, creating space out wide and asking questions of the USA defence beyond the traditional driving maul and scrum.
It was a style of rugby that reflected the direction the coaching staff have been pushing since last year’s Rugby World Cup, as the Springbok Women look to become less predictable against the world’s leading nations.
The second half, when the Eagles fought back with three tries, also provided valuable lessons ahead of the rematch in Pretoria.
“What’s different is we kind of felt the contest,” Johannes-Haupt said. “We felt what the US can bring as a Top 8 team and we now feel that we’ve arrived there, where we’re actually competing.
“The first Test, we didn’t know what to expect. Now we know what they bring. We weren’t as sharp as we could have been in the second half and that’s definitely going to go down to a humdinger in the end.”
South Africa also head into the second Test with an almost fully fit squad. The only absentee is full-back Byrhandré Dolf, who has begun a compulsory 10-day player welfare break after an extended run of matches for both the Springbok Women and the national sevens side.
“We have the rest of the squad fit and ready for selection and that is a good position to be in. We have good depth in almost all our positions and that lifts the standards of training and then playing,” Johannes-Haupt said.
The familiar surroundings of Loftus Versfeld should also play into South Africa’s hands, with a large contingent of Bulls Daisies players accustomed to the venue and the squad now well acclimatised after spending two weeks on the highveld.
If the Springbok Women can combine the attacking variety displayed during their Ellis Park masterclass with the consistency they lacked after the break, Saturday’s rematch could offer further evidence that one of South African rugby’s fastest-improving teams has evolved into a genuine force capable of challenging the world’s elite.
