Experienced centre Zintle Mpupha says the Springbok Women want to show that they belong on the world stage at the upcoming World Cup in New Zealand. DYLAN JACK reports.
SA Rugby on Wednesday evening officially announced a 32-player squad that will travel to New Zealand, where the Springbok Women have been placed alongside No 1-ranked side England as well as France (fourth in the world) and Fiji (21st).
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“It’s really a tough group, I’m not going to lie,” Mpupha told SARugbymag.co.za the squad announcement. “But we are going into the World Cup, taking it day by day and we are dealing with each one as it comes.
“These are the top teams that we want to play against. We are not just going to the World Cup to participate. We want to be competitors. Being underdogs, nobody expects anything from us. It’s up to us to go out there and show our talent and how hard we have worked, show the world that we belong on the world stage.”
With 15 Test caps to her name, Mpupha is one of the more experienced backline players in the squad.
The 28-year-old, who also played cricket for Border early in her career, became the first South African to play in the women’s Premiership after she signed with Exeter in 2021.
“On the field, I’ve played a few games for Exeter and I’ve learned so much,” Mpupha said about her experience in England.
“They play a totally different brand of rugby to what we are doing here in South Africa. It’s more about physicality and understanding the game, which has helped me as a player. It’s helped me help my teammates to get a better understanding of the game.
“I’ve grown. I know that I am a person before rugby and that has helped me a lot, understanding that I can never be at my best on the field if I am not sorted as an individual.”
The Springbok Women have steadily climbed the World Rugby rankings into 11th place in the buildup to the tournament, thanks to wins over Japan and Spain.
“I don’t know how many times we have played Spain, only to come short,” said Mpupha. “That was a huge pressure off our backs, after winning in Japan as well. That showed us we can beat teams who are ranked higher than us.
“It was a confidence booster, not saying that we can just beat any team in the world, but it’s great to beat teams outside Africa, which is what we needed as a group going into this tournament.”
The Springbok Women squad has a youthful look to it, as only four players, including captain and veteran lock Nolusindiso Booi, have previously played in a World Cup.
“It makes me super excited, to actually be nervous when there is a team selection,” said Mpupha. “Whoever gets picked for the jersey has worked really hard for it.
“Training is so difficult, that you don’t really know if you are going to make the team. That’s the kind of pressure that we actually want to build in the team. You want to know that you’ve earned the jersey. Then you will definitely give your all.
“It’s an amazing group of talented ladies and it’s incredible to play alongside them.”
Photo: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images
