The Springbok Women closed their WXV Global Series tour with a 20-0 win over Spain at the Estadio Olímpico de la Cartuja in Seville on Sunday, completing the trip without conceding a point in the final match despite playing in brutal midday heat and losing two front-rowers to injury.
Co-head coach Franzel September was candid that the team left tries on the field but was satisfied with the controlled performance and the clean sheet. Two water breaks were required during the match, played with the sun directly overhead at kick-off.
Front-row injuries complicated the afternoon, with Babalwa Latsha going off with an ankle problem and Nombuyekezo Mdliki later leaving on a stretcher. Despite both disruptions, the pack maintained set-piece dominance throughout. September said the medical picture on all the tour's niggles — the backline was also affected — would become clearer once the reports came through.
Discipline was flagged as a particular positive, with the Bok Women conceding no cards and committing no high tackles. September noted that being the best-disciplined side at the next World Cup is a stated squad goal, and Sunday's performance he said set a meaningful benchmark toward that.
Spain were held scoreless in large part through a deliberate defensive strategy aimed at disrupting the hosts' attacking structures at source — an area September singled out as one of the coaching staff's highlights from the match.
The squad returns to South Africa on Tuesday, with attention turning immediately to two home Tests against Ireland in Cape Town later this month.