– Cape Town Despite the Springbok Women’s World Cup opener loss to France by a score of 40-5, head coach Stanley Raubenheimer lauded his team’s effort against a far more experienced opponent.
France, rated fourth in the world, scored six tries to the lone try scored by the opponent. South Africa, rated eleventh, won the tournament’s opening match at Eden Park on Saturday morning.
Raubenheimer commented following the game, “I cannot blame our team’s effort.”
“The major difference between the two teams was their experience, with one participating in the Six Nations year after year and the other returning from a couple of years in the wilderness. France deserved the victory, and I congratulate them on it, but I am satisfied with how we performed in stages.
First #RWC2021 match complete – a difficult day versus France, but not all bad news.
#MovingForwardTogether pic.twitter.com/2dXxmWdukU
— Springbok Women (8 October 2022)
“We gave them too many easy opportunities, which was aggravating. We once again began poorly and gave up early points. Our finishing was also subpar, as numerous opportunities were missed. The attempt to intercept was also of no assistance.”
Eddie Myners, the forwards coach for South Africa, stated that the team’s set-piece play was a major plus from their first World Cup involvement since 2014.
Myners stated, “It was a bit sweet and sour; we performed exceptionally well at times, but poorly at others.”
“The manner in which we botched the very first kick-off and surrendered points almost instantly is a prime example of how we consistently surrender momentum and tries.
I believed we would be rewarded when we had three good drives at the goal line, but that was not the case on this occasion. Overall, it was a solid performance, and we are eager to regroup and prepare for next weekend’s match against Fiji.”
Lindelwa Gwala, a hooker for the South African rugby team, remarked that it was good to see the progress they had made since their last encounter with the French, while noting that they still have room for improvement.
“Today, we stood up to France and occasionally dominated them. When we played in Vannes a year ago, we were unable to do it, so there is no doubt in my mind that we have made significant strides since then.
“Today, we were on the front foot against one of the best packs in the game, which is a confidence booster for our team.
“This is hurting us, since our tiny errors result in major plays for the opposition.” This must be eliminated since it prevents us from being among the best teams.
“We have the team, and I am confident that we can compete with any squad on any given day, but it will take time to eradicate the minor areas of ambiguity and error. The more we play, the more experience we will acquire and the fewer errors we will make.”
Next Sunday morning, the Springbok Women will face Fiji in Pool C action (kick-off 6.45am SA time).