Cape Town — The Springbok women’s next goal is to expand their fan base.
So said flyhalf Libbie Janse van Rensburg after they thrashed Spain in the first of two Tests on Saturday.
The South Africans claimed a 44-5 victory at Ellis Park after losing their last three games to Spain, improving their world ranking to 12th in the process.
“It was a massive week for us, and this win was even better,” said Janse van Rensburg.
“To play at this iconic stadium was such an amazing feeling, and we could feel the energy coming from the crowd. We were already boosted by the FNB sponsorship announcement earlier in the week, knowing that such a flagship brand wanted to be associated with us.
“We had so much support and encouragement this week, on social media as well. So, I hope we made everyone proud out there today.”
Janse van Rensburg contributed 19 points to Stanley Raubenheimer’s team’s win, slotting all eight of her attempts at goal with five conversions and three penalties.
She added that her flawless performance off the tee made the result even more special.
“Yes, that was very pleasing,” Janse van Rensburg said.
“To have a day where you kick 100% in such a huge stadium was really special for me. There are long hours training when no one is watching, so when you have the opportunity to do this in front of a crowd, it makes it all worth the while.”
The Bok women play Spain in the second Test at Fanie du Toit Stadium in Potchefstroom on Friday, and for Janse van Rensburg, it will be crucial that they not take their foot off the pedal.
“Spain will be hurting and would want to come back strong, so we cannot expect anything than a huge comeback effort from them,” Janse van Rensburg said.
“We want more and more people to come and support the women’s game and support us and for that to happen, we need to deliver the results every time we play.”
The win was also very pleasing for Bok women prop Babalwa Latsha, who captained the team in their previous encounter against Spain in 2019, when the Europeans won in Despatch in the Eastern Cape.
“There was a bit of payback in our performance,” said Latsha.
“I thought our pack scrummed really well and we had all 16 feet working together. We were like-minded in that sense, and we could provide our backs with a good platform (on Saturday), so we are quite happy with the pack's performance.
“We have continued with our upward curve. I was part of a young and inexperienced team that played Spain a few years ago and our progress since then has been particularly good.
“We are improving with every game we play and that is very encouraging. We are not the finished product, so we need to continuously work to get better.
“Every time we go out there, it is a building process with the bigger picture in mind and that is 8 October, when we play the opening game of the Rugby World Cup against France at Eden Park in Auckland.”
IOL Sport