Lance Fredericks
IT’S TENNIS, great Serena Williams who stated, “I truly believe a champion is not determined by their victories, but by how they bounce back when they stumble.”
I’d wager that Ms. Williams would offer a positive endorsement to the Springbok Women, who this weekend made another encouraging move toward the Rugby World Cup in England.
The South Africans faced a setback and were “down” following the first half of their game at Athlone Stadium on Saturday, yet they bounced back from being dominated by New Zealand’s Black Ferns XV to score more and defend better against their opponents in the second half.
That was the evaluation provided by Springbok Women’s performance coach Swys de Bruin,following his team’s 34-26 loss against the New Zealanders, who were ahead 20-12 at halftime.
“We didn’t start well in the first half, but I must commend the team for how they adjusted in the second half, when we generated several opportunities,” said De Bruin.
If we hadn’t had one of our attempts ruled invalid at a critical moment in the second half, who can say what might have happened in the end.
The Bok defense conceded four tries in the first half and just two in the second, as the South Africans adopted a more aggressive approach, and they also benefited from a powerful substitute unit that altered the pace of the match.
“We decided at halftime to alter our strategy and play more straightforwardly, and it paid off for us tonight,” said De Bruin.
It was a night that required physicality and the most direct path forward, and we nearly succeeded in changing the outcome, which I am very happy about. It’s all part of the development process as we prepare for the Rugby World Cup next month.
Some combinations proved effective for us earlier in the season, such as during the match against Spain when we scored several tries from the backline, but tonight we required more direct and physically strong ball carriers, and those strategies were most successful against a highly skilled Black Ferns XV team.
The South African coach mentioned that he will thoroughly review the game before determining the approach for next weekend’s match, where the two teams will face each other again at the same location. Therefore, the Bok Women can anticipate intense training sessions this week. They would be wise to keep in mind what the famous Jonty Rhodes once said: “I suffered more bruises, grass burns, and cuts during practice than during actual matches.”
De Bruin mentioned that the challenging matches against leading teams are allowing the Boks to assess their performance and refine their strategies. “We aimed for these games to identify areas where we need to improve or where we are excelling, so next weekend will serve as the final test for the team and its combinations. I am extremely proud of our effort in the second half and the insight it provided to the coaching staff.”
Babalwa Latsha, who captained the Bok Women during this game and scored one of their four tries, mentioned that they don’t mind playing the game in tight spaces and had no issue following their coaches’ instructions in the second half.
“We have no problem with that; we excel in close-range rugby where we can utilize our strength,” said Latsha.
But the Black Ferns deserve recognition because they demonstrated strong abilities on a windy afternoon, and they effectively utilized their scoring chances. That’s not as true for us – we created numerous opportunities but didn’t capitalize on them all, and this will remain an area to focus on this week.
Therefore, the Springbok Women will regroup and get ready for the upcoming match.
They would benefit from paying attention to another athlete’s piece of advice. Former footballer Eric Cantona states, “It’s simple to claim you gave everything on the field. However, the key is whether you had prepared, as that would have allowed you to give more and perform better.”
And “better, and even better” is what De Bruin’s Boks are aiming for in every match.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.Syndigate.info).
