After the 19-50 capitulation to Wales raised familiar questions about the Bok Women's readiness for top-tier competition, Johannes-Haupt's side responded by beating Italy 41-29 on Italian soil — only their second-ever win over the Azzurri. The piece goes inside the turnaround, with co-head coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt explaining that a chaotic Wales camp — hampered by poor preparation timing and off-field disruption — gave way to a properly structured Italy build-up that allowed the squad to lean on their set-piece strength. The coaching reshuffle following Swys de Bruin and Bafana Nhleko's exits has been absorbed rather than derailed, with Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September operating as co-heads while pulling in SA Rugby high-performance resources. The message from Johannes-Haupt is clear: the squad's goals haven't shifted, and with Spain and Ireland still to come in the WXV campaign, they're targeting the kind of consistency that turns narrow losses to elite nations into genuine competitive results.
Bok Women bounce back — and the coaching reshuffle is working
After the Wales hammering, the Bok Women regrouped to beat Italy for only the second time ever — co-head coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt explains how a coaching reshuffle and return to set-piece basics drove the turnaround, with Spain and Ireland still to come.
Springbok Women open WXV against Wales with 10-point win predicted
Rugby365 previews the Springbok Women's WXV opener against Wales in Cardiff, with Logan Welman's elevation to No.8 the headline selection call and a 10-point Bok win predicted.
De Bruin departs as Springbok Women co-head coaches step up for WXV campaign
Swys de Bruin has left his role as Springbok Women head coach, with assistants Franzel September and Laurian Johannes-Haupt appointed co-head coaches as the team heads into WXV Global Series Tests against Wales, Italy, Spain and Ireland. De Bruin's tenure included the Springbok Women's best-ever World Cup result — a quarterfinal appearance in England — and a first-ever top-10 World Rugby ranking.
Alexander pays tribute to De Bruin as September and Haupt take over Springbok Women
Mark Alexander has thanked Swys de Bruin for his two-year tenure as Springbok Women head coach, during which the team reached the World Cup quarter-finals and cracked the world top 10 for the first time. Assistants Franzel September and Laurian Johannes Haupt take over as co-head coaches ahead of the WXV Global Series.
Springboks risk losing top World Rugby ranking spot this weekend
South Africa's number one World Rugby ranking is under threat this weekend, with a defeat to Wales in Durban combined with a New Zealand win over Ireland by more than 15 points enough to return the All Blacks to the summit. Ireland can go as far as top spot themselves with a big win at Eden Park and a Springbok loss. Australia, meanwhile, risk dropping out of the top 10 for the first time since the rankings were introduced in 2003 if they lose heavily to Italy in Schmidt's farewell.
De Bruin names 49-player Springbok Women squad for packed second half of season
Swys de Bruin has named a 49-player extended Springbok Women squad for the second half of the season, which includes a Fiji tour, the Black Ferns test in Soweto, Global WXV matches in Europe against Wales, Italy and Spain, and a home series against Ireland in Cape Town.