The Springbok Women defeated the Women’s Interprovincial XV 87-12 at Ellis Park on Saturday, building from the 45-7 victory at DHL Newlands three weeks earlier.
Sephaka will now announce the final squad in mid-June ahead of the tournament which is set to take place from 1 to 17 August in France.
“It was very pleasing to see the commitment and focus in the camp before both warm-up matches,” Sephaka said.
“It showed how determined all of the players are, including those in the Interprovincial XV, to be in the group that represents the country at the World Cup.
“In the next two weeks we will face the challenge of finalising our World Cup squad, and although the warm-games at Ellis Park and DHL Newlands provided some clarity, it will remain a challenging task to select only 26 players.
“But it has been pleasing to see how hard all the players involved in the last two matches have worked since January to improve their skills and conditioning to be in contention for places.”
Sephaka was also pleased with the way the Springbok Women’s Sevens players adapted after training with the squad for just a couple of days.
“I am proud of the Springbok Women’s XV,” Sephaka added. “Saturday’s match marked the first time the Springbok Women’s Sevens players were drafted into the 15-a-side set-up and they gelled well with the other players.
“It was also pleasing to see them adapt to our structures within two days.
“I was also pleased with the quality of our rugby. When the players stuck to the game plan the tries followed.
“That said, we still have a long way to go to reach the quality of rugby we would like to see the women play at the World Cup, but there were several encouraging signs in Saturday’s performance which we will build on in the next two months.”
