Despite crashing out of World Cup SA’s women’s rugby team put on a awe inspiring performance
South Africa’s women’s rugby team may be lagging in world rankings but their passion and performance show that they have come a long way.
The world of women’s rugby is a quickly developing area of the game that has made great strides in recent years. Sadly, our very own South African women’s team were unable to make any impression at the 2021 Rugby World Cup before an early elimination.
The continued development of the game has come with larger crowds of supporters and better funding. Teams can now offer their players professional and even full-time contracts, and this is a very beneficial step forward for the development of the women’s game.
Yet, with so many sides making great strides in recent years, the World Cup has once again highlighted the disparity between the top tier and the rest. The top-ranked sides in the world (England, New Zealand, France and Canada) are far, far better than any side below them.
Each of the sides outside of the top-four went into the competition with only a small amount of hope when it came to lifting the trophy. However, seeing how well England was playing would have quickly made this hope disappear.
One side that currently sits below the top four is South Africa. Leading bookmaker bet365 had offered odds which suggested they didn’t expect much from South Africa and they proved to be correct. South Africa went into the competition in one of the toughest groups possible. While Fiji is not in the top tier of rugby, South Africa had to contend with both England and France in Pool C.
In their opening match against France, South Africa did well to keep their opposition to just 19 points in the first-half. However, they were killed off by a three-try blitz from the French in the final 15 minutes, with South Africa competitive until the 65th minute.
This 40-5 loss was followed by their best performance in the competition. They fought incredibly hard and were within touching distance of a supreme win over Fiji. While they did lose 21-17, there were some real positives to be taken from the defeat.
The game itself was exceptionally entertaining, with both sides making mistakes and trying to run with the ball whenever they had it. South Africa were on course for a win before Karalaini Naisewa of Fiji crashed over the line, with the number eight securing the win in the dying seconds of the game.
Following this loss was a predictable hammering at the hands of the best side in the world. England arrived; they scored 75 points, conceded nothing, and left. The game against England was one that should not be used as a barometer for how far South Africa have come as no side has gotten close to England of late.
South Africa was able to perform admirably at the World Cup but was given the short straw as they were put in a group with England and France. Perhaps if they were drawn in a more forgiving pool then they would have found their way into the knockout stages.
South Africa’s continued development will hinge on whether they can close the gap between themselves and the top four. No side is anywhere near the likes of England and New Zealand, and if you are to go on their ranking points (England 96.78 to South Africa 64.50), then South Africa have a long way to go.
Despite not winning a single match at the World Cup, South Africa’s women’s team is moving in the right direction.
