women
international women
Scott Bemand’s Ireland became the first Irish side to win back-to-back Tests on South African soil after beating the Springbok Women 38-17 at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.
It can be said that they have finished theirs WXV Global Series campaign on a high with their all-time leading scorer Béibhinn Parsons scoring a hat-trick, Aoife Dalton scoring twice, captain Erin King crossing the whitewash early and Dannah O’Brien slotting four of six conversions to complete a historic two-match Test series in South Africa.
Unam Tose, captain Sizophila Solontsi and Vainah Ubisi crossed in a very physical display for the hosts but were unable to overcome Ireland despite taking the lead with 20 minutes remaining.
Springbok Women lost 50-19 to Wales in their opening match, but they won Italy 41-29 i Spain 20-0 and despite two defeats on the bounce against Ireland, they moved up to ninth overall in the World Rugby rankings.
Speaking after the final whistle, South Africa Captain Sizophila Solontsi said: “That one hurts.”
The 34-year-old winger added: “I’m disappointed. We had some really great moments, and I’d like to believe we did, but it was just us against us.”
“We just lost it and it’s very disappointing, especially since it’s the last game of the season.
“Obviously, every year we go with a goal and that goal was achieved, although today’s goal was not.
“Ninth is our highest world ranking and it only shows the sponsors who help us build and everything behind the scenes, we thank you for that.
“Hopefully we can go again next season and keep going.”
Ireland made history when they embarked on the women’s team’s first tour of the country to claim a 2-0 Test series win over South Africa, following 40-27 wins last weekend and 38-17 today.
Ireland captain Erin King couldn’t be prouder of her side and said after the match: “I’m delighted with that. The South Africans really brought it to us and we really had to stick to our game plan and stick to our processes.”
She continued: “I’m incredibly proud of the girls.
“We talked about being the first Irish team to come to South Africa and win a test series and we did that, so I’d say we’re history makers now!
“It was really tough out there. They just stuck to their guns, we had each other’s backs and we had an amazing time.”
“South Africa is a beautiful place and we made unforgettable memories.
“We talked about how special it is to get the opportunity to tour in such a beautiful place and how rare it is.
“You don’t get many opportunities to do that, so we had a really good time on and off the pitch.
“We knew on the field that there was work to do and we stuck to it.
“I think we’ve continued to build throughout the Global Series, and today we really showed what we’re capable of, especially when the pressure is on.”
