Barbarians And Springboks Women Ready For Epic Challenge In Cape Town
By Mohamed Bahaa
Officially announcing a much-awaited match this September, Barbarian F.C. and the South Africa Rugby Union celebrate the third encounter between the Barbarians Women and the Springbok Women. This exciting meeting will precede the highly anticipated Rugby Championship match between the Springboks and the All Blacks, scheduled for Saturday, 7th September at Cape Town's DHL Stadium.
With a dominant 60-5 victory in front of a record-breaking crowd at Twickenham Stadium in 2021, the Barbarians Women defeated the Springbok Women in their first match. The next rematch witnessed a much closer encounter, with the Barbarians winning a 38-26 rematch in Cape Town, demonstrating the increasing rivalry between these two teams.
The Barbarians have enlisted former captain and Rugby World Cup-winning Black Fern, Linda Itunu, who will be Head Coach, as they get ready to go back to Cape Town. Patricia García Rodriguez, a former Spanish international, Barbarian, and Exeter Chiefs player, has been chosen as Assistant Coach.
With players from seven unions, the Barbarians lineup boasts international talent. Notable names include veteran England's 2014 Rugby World Cup-winning squad member Rochelle "Rocky" Clarke and representatives from the USA, Wales, and New Zealand such as Cheta Emba, Joanna Kitlinski, Abi Meyrick, and Carla Hohepa.
For the Springbok Women, this game is very important as they get ready to host the WXV 2 tournament in Cape Town. Their campaign starts just twenty days later, on September 27, against Japan; subsequent matches against Australia and Italy to follow. As they want to compete fiercely on the international scene in next year's Women's Rugby World Cup, this fixture against the Barbarians is considered an essential preparation.
"Any match against the Barbarians has a special feel to it," said Lynne Cantwell, High Performance Manager for Women's SA Rugby. "their willingness to travel all the way to South Africa for this. Like last year, this will help us prepare for WXV, and we are very pleased that they agreed to visit our shores again.”
John Spencer, President of Barbarian F.C., expressed his excitement: “We are delighted to be playing Springbok Women in Cape Town once again. These fixtures exemplify the fiercely-held values of our club – flair, courage, spirit, passion, integrity, friendship, and enjoyment – values that have been on display in our last meetings with the Springboks Women.”
Anticipation grows for a contest highlighting the finest of women's rugby as both sides get ready for what promises to be an amazing game.
JUDY ROTICH