The Springbok Women say “soft opportunities” and a lack of composure against a more experienced France cost South Africa in the women’s Rugby World Cup opener on Saturday.
France scrumhalf Laure Sansus crossed twice as the pre-tournament favourites beat a stubborn South Africa 40-5 at Eden Park. The Bok Women’s next Pool C game is against Fiji – record losers in a 84-19 defeat by England – next Sunday.
“I cannot fault our team for their effort,” said SA coach Stanley Raubenheimer.
“The big difference was the experience between the two sides, one playing year in and year out in the Six Nations, and the other on their way back after a couple of years in the wilderness. France deserved the win and congratulations to them, but I am pleased with the way we played in stages.
“We allowed them too many soft opportunities and that was frustrating. We again started poorly and conceded early points. Our finishing was also not the best, with a number of opportunities going astray. The intercept try also did not help at all.”
REPORT: France too classy for stubborn South Africa
Assistant coach Eddie Myners felt that the scrumming and lineout work of the SA forwards created good pressure on France, and showed that the South Africans can stand their ground against any pack.
“It was a bit of sweet and sour – we really did well at times, but also poor at other times,” said Myners. “How we messed up the very first kick-off and conceded points almost immediately is a good example of us just giving momentum and tries away.
“Our maul was great, though, and I thought we would be rewarded when we had three strong drives at the line, but that did not happen on this occasion. Overall, though, it was a sound performance and we are keen to regroup and get ready for Fiji next weekend.”
Hooker Lindelwa Gwala added: “That is costing us, we are making small mistakes that result in big plays for the opponents. We need to cut that out, because it is holding us back from being amongst the best teams.
“We have the team, I am convinced that we can compete against any team any day, but to eliminate the small areas of uncertainty and error will take time. The more we play, the more experience we will gain and the more we will eliminate the mistakes.”
