Bok Women fight back in vain

THE Springbok Women were punished for a first-half display littered with mistakes and penalties by Canada, losing 50-20 at a sunny but cool Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria yesterday afternoon.

- ROWAN CALLAGHAN

The second-ranked Canadians punched holes in the South Africans’ defence early on, putting the Bok Women on the back foot from the start. That pressure told when Deleaka Menin stretched over the line despite the attentions of Babalwa Latsha after five minutes. Julia Schell added the extra two points.

The Springbok Women's pack was solid enough at scrum time, but lineout struggles proved costly. Hooker Micke Gunter struggled to find her jumpers throughout the half.

Unfortunately, an alarming error count at the breakdown also cost the South Africans. It also undid much of the good work by the forwards, who worked tirelessly to get go-forward ball. The likes of Latsha, Sizophila Solontsi and Aseza Hele were prominent in this regard.