Anushka Groenewald has featured in 10 of the Springbok Women's 11 Tests in 2026, and the 21-year-old hooker from Brackenfell RFC is on course to add to that tally when the Bok Women host Ireland in a WXV Global Series Test at Athlone Stadium on Saturday.
For Groenewald, who has 13 caps in total — three from last year's Rugby Africa Cup in Madagascar — the Cape Town fixture carries particular weight. A former DF Akademie pupil from the northern suburbs, she has not previously played a Test in the Mother City.
"This dream season will go full circle if I am part of the squad to play Ireland on Saturday," said Groenewald. "To play at home will be unreal. It is always nice to hear from family and friends on the phone that you played well, but this time it will come from them standing in front of me, in real time."
Groenewald breaks into a hooker group that includes the most-capped incumbent in that position Lindelwa Gwala, World Cup veterans Roseline Botes and Luchell Hanekom, and Mike Gunter, currently with Leicester Tigers Women in the English Premiership.
The squad has also seen two changes ahead of the Ireland series. Thandile Mazwi — whose last Test appearance was as a replacement against Fiji in Suva in August — and uncapped Anothando Katshwa have been drafted in to replace the injured Babalwa Latsha and Nombuyekezo Mdliki. Anuschka Ekron, part of the Rugby Africa Women's Cup squad, joins the group for training this week.
Ireland arrive ranked fifth in the world. The team announcement is expected on Thursday.