The Springbok Women have won the Rugby Africa Women's Cup for the fifth year running, beating Kenya 35-20 in Nairobi on Sunday to complete an unbeaten tournament campaign.
Assistant coach Franzel September said the gameplan centred on keeping ball out of their own half and forcing Kenya's strike runners to attack from wide, where the Springbok defence was set and waiting.
"We came with a plan, and it worked," said September. "The tactical kicking meant that they had to launch their attacks from out wide and our defence was ready for that. We applied good pressure on them and their skill set could not quite cope with our approach."
Kenya led at half-time, but the selection of a six-two forward-to-back bench split proved decisive in the second half. The pick-and-drive was effective as the hosts faded, with September crediting the team's resilience in what he described as tough conditions.
"In the end we endured and won going away," he said. "It felt that a number of things were going against us, but the team's resilience came through."
September acknowledged the performance against Uganda earlier in the tournament fell below the required standard, but said the step-up against Kenya was clear. Nine debutants featured across the campaign, with several making a strong impression.
"Some of them really did well and showed that they want to be part of future Springbok Women teams," he said.
Alichia Arries was the tournament's standout with four tries, while Logan Welman crossed three times. Jakkie Cilliers finished the tournament as top scorer with 46 points from two tries, two penalty goals and 15 conversions. South Africa scored 22 tries across the three matches, compared to Kenya's 20 and Uganda's 13.
The squad returns to South Africa before turning their attention to a two-test series against the USA. September said the trip achieved its objectives of blooding younger players, giving fringe players game time, and starting the season with three wins from three.
"We have nine more to play this season, so after the short break, we will focus on the next job," he said.