Their ability to stand up to the highly-rated French pack in Vannes on November 6 boosted the confidence of the Springbok Women’s forwards and they are keen to have another go when they take on Wales in Cardiff this Saturday.
The South African pack managed well against the well-drilled France team despite the lack of game time in recent years, as was the case with locks Nolusindiso Booi and Rights Mkhari.
Booi last played for the Springboks in November 2018 before sitting out many months due to a serious foot injury and got through a ton of work in a commendable 80-minute effort, while Mkhari had to overcome a bad dose of Covid-19 earlier this year, and missed out on the entire Women’s Premier Division and the two tests against Kenya.
Mkhari last played in December 2019 when she donned the Springbok Women’s Sevens jersey at the HSBC Cape Town Sevens before being struck down twice during the pandemic.
“I had to start all over,” the 27-year-old from Limpopo said.
“It was really bad for me during the pandemic, and it was a long, hard road to get back to full fitness. To then play my first competitive game in such a long time against the formidable pack of France and feeling happy afterwards was a huge relief.
“We stood up well, I thought. We went into the game hoping to deliver a competitive performance and I think we managed that.”
Mkhari played in her fourth test and said the experience was invaluable.
That effort must now be sustained and Lindelwa Gwala, who wore the No 2 jersey on Saturday in Vannes, said the momentum needs to be carried over to Wales, their next opponent.
Gwala has played in 11 of the 12 test matches since she toured with the squad in 2018 when they last played Wales, losing 19-5.
The Springbok Women will travel to Cardiff on November 11 and head coach Stanley Raubenheimer will announce the matchday squad on the same day.
