15 July 2014
The Springbok Women began finalising their preparations for next month’s IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup on Monday as the squad assembled in Cape Town for their World Cup holding camp.
All 26 players named in the South African Rugby World Cup squad reported for duty, including Springbok Women’s captain Mandisa Williams, who was withdrawn from their warm-up tour of England and France due to a knee injury, and centres Marithy Pienaar and Ziyanda Tywaleni, who missed the tour due to knee and hamstring injuries respectively.
The World Cup will be hosted in Marcoussis, outside of Paris, from 1 to 17 August, with the Springbok Women set to face Australia, France and Wales in the pool stages.
‘Pleasing’
Springbok Women’s coach Lawrence Sephaka was pleased to welcome back his players for their final training camp and said: “It is good to have the team back together and it is pleasing to see the players fresh and ready for the big challenge that lies ahead.
“It is also satisfying to welcome Marithy and Ziyanda to the squad following their injury layoffs.
“The team realises that this is the last chance to work on the big things before the World Cup and they are all in the right frame of mind to achieve this.”
Training goals
Sephaka said one of his main main goals before the team departs for France is to work on the areas of their game that let them down against the Nomads and France.
“We took several positives from our warm-up tour, particularly our defence and ability to score tries against the Nomads, and our encouraging performance all around in the second half against France,” said Sephaka. “But there are areas we have to work on, which includes converting the pressure on attack into points and improving our scrummaging, so we have hard work ahead in the next two weeks.”
The Springbok squad will have a World Cup capping ceremony and send-off function on the eve of their departure on 26 July at The Garden Court, Nelson Mandela Boulevard.
Springbok Women’s Rugby World Cup squad
Forwards: Celeste Adonis (Western Province), Nolusindiso Booi (Border), Nomathamsanqa Faleni (Eastern Province), Rachelle Geldenhuys (Blue Bulls), Portia Jonga (Eastern Province), Cebisa Kula (Eastern Province), Thantaswa Macingwana (Border), Lamla Momoti (Border), Nwabisa Ngxatu (Border), Asithandile Ntoyanto (Border), Vuyolwethu Vazi (Blue Bulls), Denita Wentzel (Western Province), Shona-Leah Weston (Blue Bulls), Mandisa Williams (Border, captain). Backs: Siviwe Basweni (Border), Lorinda Brown (Eastern Province), Cindy Cant (Blue Bulls), Phumeza Gadu (Eastern Province), Veroeshka Grain (Western Province), Zenay Jordaan (Border), Tayla Kinsey (KwaZulu-Natal), Benele Makwezela (Western Province), Fundiswa Plaatjie (Border), Marithy Pienaar (Blue Bulls), Siphosethu Tshingana (Eastern Province), Ziyanda Tywaleni (Border).
Springbok Women’s 2014 WRWC Pool Fixtures
- Friday, 1 Aug: SA vs Australia, Marcoussis
- Tuesday, 5 Aug: SA vs France, Marcoussis
- Saturday, 9 Aug: SA vs Wales, Marcoussis
SAinfo reporter
