The Springbok Women completed a clean sweep of their Fiji tour, overcoming a 10-5 halftime deficit to win the second Test 29-22 at Churchill Park in Lautoka on Saturday and claim the inaugural Ubuntu–Bula Trophy.
The result followed a dominant 55-12 opening Test win, but the Fijiana XV offered a far sterner examination in the rematch, leading twice and testing South Africa with an effective offload game throughout.
Debutant wing Maria Tshiremba proved the match-winner, crossing for three second-half tries to seal the victory. Assistant coach Franzel September singled her out as a particular source of satisfaction: "The players and especially the coaches were really happy for Maria – we backed her and selected her for this match and she responded so well."
September described the result as a valuable learning exercise, with the squad forced to adapt beyond their trademark first-phase possession game. "We were tested in different areas this time around and it was great for us as we needed to adapt and adjust our strategies. We also showed other areas of strength and that was a big plus for us."
The squad returns to South Africa on Monday, with the Black Ferns visiting Johannesburg early next month.