Springboks Women’s caretaker coach wants players to ‘stay in the moment’ after shock Swys de Bruin resignation in build-up to Black Ferns clash

The Springboks coach tasked with picking up the pieces following Swys de Bruin’s bombshell resignation says the loss of the boss can’t be an excuse not to perform against New Zealand.

South Africa face the Black Ferns at Soccer City on Saturday as Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry swaps low-flying passenger jets for a women’s international as the warm-up act.

When last the nations met, at the World Cup in England 12 months ago, the then world champion Kiwis survived a first half scare to pull away and win the quarter-final.

It ended South Africa’s best-ever tournament but De Bruin warned “the sky is the limit” for the Springboks Women and predicted his team would win the World Cup “in the not too distant future”.

The team is no longer his after SA Rugby confirmed on Thursday the 66-year old had stepped down with immediate effect, reportedly in a dispute over win bonuses.

Big challenge ahead for caretaker coaches

So the challenge for Franzel September, who with Laurian Johannes-Haupt has stepped up from assistant roles to fill the breach, is to deliver the level of achievement their predecessor predicted.

September did not shy away from it when speaking to Planet Rugby on Friday.

“The way the women’s game is going and growing in South Africa, definitely a medal at the next World Cup is our target,” he said. “We will take it one step at a time but we know what we need to do.”

Losing your head coach two days before taking on six-time world champions and the current number two ranked side in the game is far from ideal. But September called for focus.

He added: “When the news came out, we said ‘We are here for rugby. Let the main thing stay the main thing’.

“Obviously, Swys has played a big part in the last few years. But for us, we’ll deal with it after the match. For now, let’s try and stay in the moment. Focus on those challenges we need to work through.

“Things might happen in a World Cup. We need to prove to ourselves that we can stay focused on the job at hand.

“We’re professionals. We know what’s expected of us. We know why we’re here. Everyone’s got a good ‘why’. So you focus on your ‘why’.

“The South African jersey needs to be represented, that’s what’s expected of us. We will all go through challenges in life, as a team and as individuals. We must take this one and move on. Rugby’s the main thing here.

“It’s a massive day for us, playing at a sold out FNB Stadium. It’s a great opportunity and we intend to use this platform to let all the other young ladies in our country know that there’s a place for them.”

Even allowing for the fact the match is a curtain-raiser, kicking off three and a half hours before the Boks and All Blacks collide for the third straight Saturday, it will be a sensory challenge for players with no experience of such an enormous arena.

Springboks Women’s boss resigns on the eve of Blacks Ferns clash amid SA Rugby dispute – report

“I’m not worried about our ladies being overwhelmed,” September said. “Those experiences of last year at the World Cup, the stadiums in England might have looked small, but a couple of stadiums were packed.

“So we already went through that. The ladies know exactly what’s expected of them – not to get lost in those moments, but to stay where we are, stay present, stay as a team.”

When they met at the World Cup in Exeter the Bok Women were 66/1 long shots whose forwards responded so fiercely that the match was locked at 10-10 at half-time.

Six of that pack, including captain Babalwa Latsha and star number eight Aseza Hele, start in Soweto.

“If you think you can’t win, if you tell yourself you’re going into a match to lose, you’re in the wrong place,” September said.

Quietly confident of causing an upset

“We’re giving ourselves an opportunity. We are well aware of what the Black Ferns can bring. If you allow them to play rugby and do their thing they will do whatever they want to do.

“We just need to know that for 80 minutes, every opportunity we get we convert into points whilst limiting their opportunities. It’s winning those small moments.

“At the end of the day, you want to walk off the field feeling you gave it your best shot, you represented well, stuck together as a team. If we can do that the result will speak for itself.”

The Springboks Women have lost only once since the World Cup, beating the higher ranked USA for a shared series and then sweeping Fiji. This is an altogether tougher assignment.

“We have a plan and that includes being direct and physical and playing to our strengths, which is a very strong set-piece,” warned Latsha.

“They are a very skilful team and will no doubt try to get around us, while the direct route is our preferred option.”

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The Kiwis might only be starting six of their run-on XV from that day at Sandy Park, but these include the front-row trio Chryss Viliko, Georgia Ponsonby and Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu and star back Braxton Sorensen-McGee.

Sorensen-McGee, 19, emerged from last year’s World Cup with most line-breaks, most tries and most points – two of them to kill off South Africa’s valiant challenge.

She was a winger in that tournament, a fullback this weekend. Expect her influence to be undimmed. The question is whether Springbok Women can contain her this time, without the coach they made history playing for.

READ MORE: Springboks Women team named for Black Ferns showdown as SA Rugby confirms Swys de Bruin decision