Twenty years after their last meeting — a 37-0 Ireland win at the 2006 World Cup — the Springbok Women host Ireland in the first of two WXV Global Series Tests at Athlone Stadium on Saturday. The gap between the sides is the real story: South Africa went through a near-collapse of their women's programme, not playing competitive rugby between 2014 and 2018, before rebuilding to reach the 2025 World Cup quarterfinals. Co-head coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt is framing the occasion as proof of how far the programme has come, and is targeting set-piece dominance as the platform against what she describes as a well-rounded, structured Irish outfit. Both teams arrive having lost their WXV opener, so there's genuine pressure on the result. Rugby365 tips South Africa by 10.
Springbok Women host Ireland in historic Cape Town double-header
South Africa host Ireland in Cape Town on Saturday in the first of two WXV Tests — a fixture 20 years in the making, with Rugby365 backing the Springbok Women to win by 10 points.
Bok Women face unfamiliar foe in Ireland — but Jacobs backs small-battle approach to break new ground
Catha Jacobs breaks down why Ireland — the only top-10 side this Bok Women's squad has never faced — are a genuine challenge, and explains the set-piece focus and 'small battles' mindset they're taking into Saturday's WXV clash at Athlone Stadium.
Groenewald poised for Cape Town milestone as Bok Women prepare for Ireland
Anushka Groenewald, who has featured in 10 of the Springbok Women's 11 Tests in 2026, is set for a first Cape Town Test appearance when the Bok Women host fifth-ranked Ireland at Athlone Stadium on Saturday, with squad changes also confirmed ahead of the WXV Global Series fixture.
Bok Women shut out Spain 20-0 to end WXV Global Series tour on a high
The Springbok Women shut out Spain 20-0 in Seville to end their WXV Global Series tour, with co-head coach Franzel September highlighting disciplined defence and set-piece control despite front-row injuries to Babalwa Latsha and Nombuyekezo Mdliki. The squad returns home on Tuesday ahead of two Tests against Ireland in Cape Town.
FNB Stadium double-header set to be landmark moment for Bok Women
The Bok Women face the Black Ferns in a double-header at FNB Stadium in September 2026 — part of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry — with Juan de Jongh arguing the occasion could be a defining moment for the women's programme's upward trajectory.
Hits & Misses: Scotland earn respect at Loftus, Women Boks stumble at the finish line
Scotland pushed the Boks harder than the 42-28 scoreline suggests, the Women Boks let a series win slip through ill-discipline, Will Jordan broke the All Blacks try-scoring record, and France made history in Brisbane — Wynona Louw's weekend review covers the highs and lows.