Ireland’s 40-27 win over South Africa in Cape Town delivered a six-try spectacle on Saturday for the supporters who packed into the stadium, and it carried real weight for the growing audience of women’s rugby fans in both countries. The victory, in the first of two WXV Global Series meetings between the sides, marked Ireland’s first-ever trip to South Africa and gave followers of the Springboks and the Irish side a contest that stayed genuinely in the balance until the closing stages. Full coverage of the match is available at https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/articles/c6ly353442neo.
For the paying public and broadcast audience, the opening period offered remarkable value. The two teams shared six tries in an entertaining first half, separated only by the precision of Irish fly-half Dannah O’Brien from the kicking tee. Aoife Dalton, Linda Djougang and Jane Clohessy crossed for the visitors, while Aseza Hele, Vainah Ubisi and Maria Tshiremba responded for the hosts, leaving Ireland with a slender 21-17 half-time lead after a ding-dong opening period.
Ireland struck first after seven minutes, when Dalton showed impressive strength to burrow over from close range after carries from Robyn O’Connor and Clohessy drove the visitors close to the posts. South Africa responded superbly. Number eight Hele rampaged through the Irish defence for the pick of the tries, a fine individual score. Ireland’s early momentum was further dented when captain Erin King was sin-binned for a high tackle, and with her off the field Ubisi scored to give South Africa the lead after 27 minutes. Djougang then crashed her way over under the posts, and in an end-to-end conclusion to the half, winger Tshiremba dotted down in the corner and thought she had given her side a half-time lead. Instead, impressive second row Clohessy’s effort, converted by O’Brien, edged the Irish in front.
The second half began with the kind of moment supporters had come to see. Within 90 seconds of the restart, scrum-half Emily Lane’s neat offload sent prolific winger Beibhinn Parsons scampering through for her 26th international try, quickly stretching Ireland’s lead. King then scored to atone for her first-half indiscretion, and when replacement scrum-half Aoibheann Reilly touched down it appeared Ireland were home and hosed. The try, however, was ruled out for a knock-on by Brittany Hogan, and when Ireland replacement centre Eve Higgins received a yellow card, Lerato Makua finished impressively to give the Springboks hope of a late fightback with 12 minutes remaining.
That hope faded when Djougang, again deployed as a loose-head prop having spent much of her career at tight-head, crossed for her second try to put the result beyond doubt. Alichia Arries’ late consolation score for the home side arrived two minutes from time, but the evening belonged to the visitors.
The result carries context that matters to those following both programmes. The sides’ only previous meeting was a 2006 Women’s Rugby World Cup match in Canada, which Ireland won 37-0, so Saturday’s far closer encounter showed how much the gap between the two teams has narrowed. For South African supporters, the fight their side showed, particularly through Hele, Ubisi and Makua, offers encouragement ahead of the rematch. For Irish fans, the performance came with a caveat: the team was guilty of 13 handling errors, even as its line speed and multi-phase attack proved effective weapons against a spirited Springbok outfit.
Ireland arrived in Cape Town with mixed recent form. Having been stunned by the United States’ second-half comeback to lose in Dublin last month, the side had lost its WXV opener to the Americans before beating Japan. Saturday’s win means Ireland will aim to close out the campaign with a third win from four games when the teams meet again at Athlone Stadium on 31 October at 13:00 GMT.
Meanwhile, for the public following the series, the fixture list offers more of what Saturday delivered. The rematch in Cape Town gives supporters of both nations a second chance to see these sides, and on the evidence of an evening in which the lead changed hands and the outcome stayed uncertain deep into the final quarter, few will need persuading to tune in again.