Swys de Bruin described the Springbok Women's first-half display against the USA Eagles Women at Ellis Park on Saturday as the best 40 minutes of rugby he has witnessed since taking charge, though he acknowledged the second half fell well short of that standard.
South Africa led 29-0 at the break before the Eagles fought back to score three tries in the second period, with the final scoreline of 34-21 flattering the visitors somewhat after a dominant opening.
"We played a brilliant first half – the best half of rugby I experienced with this team since I joined them," said De Bruin. "That was perfect rugby, so I cannot be too hard on them because we allowed USA back into the game in the second half."
De Bruin attributed the second-half drop-off to several factors, including his own halftime communication, and viewed the lapse as constructive rather than alarming. "That was a good thing that we were not that great, as we now have clear work-ons for next weekend's match," he said.
Forward dominance was the primary driver of the first-half blitz, with De Bruin singling out the pack's physicality as the decisive factor. The USA regained a foothold by shifting the game away from the South African forwards as the match progressed.
Captain Babalwa Latsha framed the result as a statement of intent. "We wanted to lay down a marker that we are a serious team," she said. "We wanted to show people that those foundations laid at the Women's Rugby World Cup are still in place and solid enough to build on."
Latsha also noted the significance of the result in a historical context, confirming it as South Africa's biggest winning margin over the USA in six Tests between the sides, and adding that the Springbok Women came close to overtaking the Eagles in the world rankings.
The squad remains based in Sandton ahead of the second Test, travelling to Pretoria on Saturday for a rematch at Loftus Versfeld.