The Springbok Women beat Uganda 47-20 in Nairobi on Wednesday to remain unbeaten against African opposition, but it was far from a polished display as they conceded two tries inside the opening 10 minutes and struggled with discipline throughout.
Assistant coach Franzel September was candid in his post-match assessment. "We conceded two tries in the first 10 minutes, through a combination of them doing well to keep the ball alive, and us not making proper hits and dropping off first time tackles," he said. "Uganda can move the ball nicely and we did not respond to that, and we paid the price."
Penalties and a yellow card compounded the slow start, with September noting the team also failed to adapt quickly enough to the referee. Once they tightened up, however, their scoring intent returned and they ran out comfortable winners.
Three new caps featured in the match alongside six players in just their second Test, and September was encouraged by what he saw from both groups. "It is part of the process to bring in the next group of players, and we will benefit from that decision," he said.
Sunday's final pool match against Kenya is now effectively a decider after Kenya beat Madagascar 57-0 on the same day. The Springbok Women face Kenya in Nairobi at 15:00 SA time.
"We needed some adversity to remind ourselves of the fight we have in us, and that came through today," September said. "We recovered well and, in the end, controlled the match. That momentum takes us into our final game Sunday, and we will be ready to go."