Catha Jacobs has pointed to the Springbok Women's expanded game as a key factor when they face the Black Ferns at FNB Stadium on Saturday, with kick-off at 13h30.
The utility forward draws a direct line between her post-World Cup stint on the sevens circuit and her form in the fifteens game. "There is no doubt in my mind that I have benefitted hugely from being with the sevens group and I can feel that in my fifteens play over the last couple of Test matches," Jacobs said.
Several Bok Women players followed the same path, returning from the HSBC SVNS series to bolster the fifteens squad. Jacobs believes those shared sevens minutes have raised the collective skill ceiling without diluting the physical identity the team has built. "We will never move away from our strengths in the first phase and our physicality, but we did add some variety in our play."
The match carries a pointed edge for the squad. The two sides met at the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Exeter last September, where the Springbok Women were level at 10-10 at half-time before the Black Ferns pulled clear. "We left the field frustrated after that clash," Jacobs said. "We were wishing we could turn back the clock." Saturday's one-off Test, staged as a double header with the Springboks versus All Blacks fixture under the Castle Double Malt Rugby's Greatest Rivalry banner, is the first opportunity to revisit that result.
Jacobs also cited the home side's subsequent performances — back-to-back wins over the USA Women's Eagles in July and a clean sweep in Fiji last month — as evidence that the Springbok Women improved more sharply post-World Cup than those same opponents. Both the USA and Fiji featured at the World Cup. "I believe we improved most of the three. That belief will be tested on Saturday."
Jacobs, who has won caps at lock, flanker and No 8, is in line for her 31st Test appearance when the team is announced on Thursday. The match is live on SuperSport.