Co-head coaches Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September have drawn encouragement from the Springbok Women's performance against New Zealand despite a 52-20 defeat at FNB Stadium on Saturday, pointing to four tries scored against the world's second-ranked side and sustained periods of control as evidence of genuine progress.
Johannes-Haupt highlighted the scrum as a particular area of confidence. "I think we have established our credibility, especially in elements like our scrumming and forward play. We pride ourselves on our scrum and today it was very powerful again," she said, adding that the squad will head into their European tour in good shape mentally.
September acknowledged the errors that gifted the Black Ferns several straightforward tries but declined to view the scoreline in isolation. "We played well at times and made mistakes at times, so there is more than enough work-ons for us to keep us honest. We have progressed well though and I believe there has been good improvement in our season — from those first performances in the Rugby Africa Women's Cup, through the USA tests and the tour to Fiji."
The squad reassembles in Stellenbosch on Wednesday. September confirmed the touring party for upcoming tests against Wales, Italy and Spain will be finalised once medical assessments on several players have been completed.