JOHANNESBURG. – The Springbok Women found belief and reward at Ellis Park with their victory over the USA Eagles, but assistant coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt says the squad wants to add to its skill set and top ten mindset when the sides meet again at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.
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The team returned to the training field at St John’s College in Johannesburg on Monday to start preparations for Saturday’s second Test against the Eagles.
Springbok Women see the progress as real
“What we do realise now, is that we can compete with other teams in the top ten, and win, and that is a great boost to our programme, as we see our progress is real and it was proven when we toppled the team ranked eighth in the world,” said Johannes-Haupt.
The coach, who looks after scrums and breakdowns, said being able to expand their style of play and still be successful was a significant boost, particularly as the squad wants to show that reaching the quarter-finals at last year’s Women’s World Cup was no fluke but proof of progress.
“Our skill set has definitely improved, we are still strong in our set piece, and we don’t want that to change,” she said. “However, to be able to add soft skills and game management to that is starting to bear fruit. Our overall shape has changed, we can play in more than one style, and we want to showcase that.”
Next job attitude ahead of Loftus
Johannes-Haupt said the focus is now on a repeat performance in Pretoria.
“Yes, it is a next job attitude for us. We will be working hard this week to iron out the gremlins that came into our game, especially in the second half, but also fine-tune some new things we want to execute on the weekend,” she said.
She believes the familiar venue will work in the team’s favour.
“We have played there before and know what to expect, while a lot of our players are from the Bulls Daisies and are very familiar with the stadium,” she said. “Altitude will be something that could work in our favour too. We have been up here in Johannesburg for almost two weeks now and adjusted and adapted well. The team schedule works well, and we are in a good space.”
Dolf rested for the second Test
Johannes-Haupt confirmed that Byrhandré Dolf will not be considered for the Pretoria Test as she is on a compulsory rest period. Dolf, who also played for the Springbok Women’s Sevens this year, will take a 10 day break from rugby in line with player welfare agreements and will return when the squad reassembles late next month.
“Byrhandré has played a lot of rugby and per agreement, she will take a break from the game for a well-deserved rest,” she said. “We have the rest of the squad fit and ready for selection and that is a good position to be in. We have good depth in almost all our positions and that lifts the standards of training and then playing.”
The team to face the USA will be announced on Thursday. Further team news is available at www.sarugby.co.za.
