South Africa: Jackie Kriel Gallagher High Performance Academy is next step in former Springboks Women Star’s rugby career Jackie Kriel started her sporting life as a physiotherapist, but it’s as a full-time rugby coach that she now aims to make her mark. Kriel was working as a physiotherapist for a women’s rugby team when the coach suggested that she might like to start playing the sport. It was a suggestion that led to Kriel representing her country on the international Sevens circuit and sparked her interest in moving into coaching herself when she stopped playing. Kriel is now backs...

South Africa: Jackie Kriel Gallagher High Performance Academy is next step in former Springboks Women Star’s rugby career Jackie Kriel started her sporting life as a physiotherapist, but it’s as a full-time rugby coach that she now aims to make her mark. Kriel was working as a physiotherapist for a women’s rugby team when the coach suggested that she might like to start playing the sport. It was a suggestion that led to Kriel representing her country on the international Sevens circuit and sparked her interest in moving into coaching herself when she stopped playing. Kriel is now backs...

The Springbok Women unexpectedly found themselves at the home of Scottish rugby on Tuesday, when their planned training session against Scotland Women was moved to the iconic setting of Murrayfield Stadium. The sessions against the hosts went as well as they had hoped for, said Springbok Women assistant coach Franzel September, confirming that the switch of venue was a nice bonus as the team concluded the Scotland leg of their tour. They depart for Wales on Wednesday, where another training session against the Welsh Women will take place in Swansea on Saturday before Test matches...

The Springbok Women unexpectedly found themselves at the home of Scottish rugby on Tuesday, when their planned training session against Scotland Women was moved to the iconic setting of Murrayfield Stadium. The sessions against the hosts went as well as they had hoped for, said Springbok Women assistant coach Franzel September, confirming that the switch of venue was a nice bonus as the team concluded the Scotland leg of their tour. They depart for Wales on Wednesday, where another training session against the Welsh Women will take place in Swansea on Saturday before Test matches...

World Rugby has published the permutations for the women's rankings this week in its preview. World Rugby has published the ranking permutations for the international between the Netherlands and Colombia in Amsterdam this weekend. Permutation highlights: The Netherlands cannot improve their rating with victory over Colombia due to the 16.10 rating points between the teams before home weighting is factored in. However, the Netherlands will fall two places in defeat, slipping below Samoa and Fiji. The Dutch will equal their lowest ever position of 18th if the margin of defeat is more...

World Rugby has published the permutations for the women's rankings this week in its preview. World Rugby has published the ranking permutations for the international between the Netherlands and Colombia in Amsterdam this weekend. Permutation highlights: The Netherlands cannot improve their rating with victory over Colombia due to the 16.10 rating points between the teams before home weighting is factored in. However, the Netherlands will fall two places in defeat, slipping below Samoa and Fiji. The Dutch will equal their lowest ever position of 18th if the margin of defeat is more...

Calling all former women players - sign up here!   SA Rugby is calling on all former national and provincial women players to make contact in a major drive to identify and create more female rugby coaches in the county. The initiative is the start of an Elite Coach Pathway group that is being established by Lynne Cantwell, SA Rugby’s High-Performance Manager for Women’s Rugby, in collaboration with SA Rugby's Human Resources and Coaching Education Departments, to empower and accelerate the development of female coaches as well as create a robust database of all former national...

Calling all former women players - sign up here!   SA Rugby is calling on all former national and provincial women players to make contact in a major drive to identify and create more female rugby coaches in the county. The initiative is the start of an Elite Coach Pathway group that is being established by Lynne Cantwell, SA Rugby’s High-Performance Manager for Women’s Rugby, in collaboration with SA Rugby's Human Resources and Coaching Education Departments, to empower and accelerate the development of female coaches as well as create a robust database of all former national...

World Rugby has published the permutations for the women's rankings this week in its preview. World Rugby has published the ranking permutations for the second round of the Guinness Women's Six Nations and other matches in Europe this weekend. Permutation highlights: England are unable to improve their rating with victory over Wales due to the 21.04-point difference between the teams before home weighting is factored in. The world’s number one team will still hold at least a 2.62-point advantage over New Zealand in second even if they suffer a shock defeat and lose by more than 15...

World Rugby has published the permutations for the women's rankings this week in its preview. World Rugby has published the ranking permutations for the second round of the Guinness Women's Six Nations and other matches in Europe this weekend. Permutation highlights: England are unable to improve their rating with victory over Wales due to the 21.04-point difference between the teams before home weighting is factored in. The world’s number one team will still hold at least a 2.62-point advantage over New Zealand in second even if they suffer a shock defeat and lose by more than 15...

Mistakes costly as USA down Bok Women in London The USA's Women's Eagles beat a gallant Springbok Women's team by 38-17 (half-time 14-0) in their once-off Test on a sunny and mild Saturday afternoon at the Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club in London. The Bok Women would have learnt a valuable lesson in protecting possession, as they never got going because of soft moments on attack and defence, despite acually playing good rugby for big parts of the Test. Danelle Lochner, Aseza Hele and Babalwa Latsha carried strongly, while Mary Zulu and Byrhandre Dolf varied their play well at the...

Mistakes costly as USA down Bok Women in London The USA's Women's Eagles beat a gallant Springbok Women's team by 38-17 (half-time 14-0) in their once-off Test on a sunny and mild Saturday afternoon at the Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club in London. The Bok Women would have learnt a valuable lesson in protecting possession, as they never got going because of soft moments on attack and defence, despite acually playing good rugby for big parts of the Test. Danelle Lochner, Aseza Hele and Babalwa Latsha carried strongly, while Mary Zulu and Byrhandre Dolf varied their play well at the...

FS to add spice as Premier Division kicks off Newly promoted Free State Women will add some spice to the 2024 Women’s Premier Division when the tournament kicks off in four different venues across South Africa on Saturday, but the main question will be if anyone can stop the Bulls Daisies from another clean sweep. The Pretoria side won all 14 of their matches last season and posted some big scores as they reaped the rewards of contracting a professional squad, who not only returned interest on that investment, but set a very high standard for other teams to follow. This season,...

FS to add spice as Premier Division kicks off Newly promoted Free State Women will add some spice to the 2024 Women’s Premier Division when the tournament kicks off in four different venues across South Africa on Saturday, but the main question will be if anyone can stop the Bulls Daisies from another clean sweep. The Pretoria side won all 14 of their matches last season and posted some big scores as they reaped the rewards of contracting a professional squad, who not only returned interest on that investment, but set a very high standard for other teams to follow. This season,...

Tshiremba adds speed to Bok Women’s Sevens in Singapore Speedster Maria Tshiremba will make a welcome return to the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad for next weekend’s HSBC SVNS tournament in Singapore, the seventh of eight in the 2024 season. Tshiremba, who scored four tries in as many tournaments, limped off in Vancouver and missed the next two tournaments in Los Angeles and Hong Kong, but she has now fully recovered to add punch to the South African attack. She replaces Alichia Arries on the wing in one of three changes to the side that played in Hong Kong earlier in the month....

Tshiremba adds speed to Bok Women’s Sevens in Singapore Speedster Maria Tshiremba will make a welcome return to the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad for next weekend’s HSBC SVNS tournament in Singapore, the seventh of eight in the 2024 season. Tshiremba, who scored four tries in as many tournaments, limped off in Vancouver and missed the next two tournaments in Los Angeles and Hong Kong, but she has now fully recovered to add punch to the South African attack. She replaces Alichia Arries on the wing in one of three changes to the side that played in Hong Kong earlier in the month....

Sizophila Solontsi and Nomawethu Mabenge will make welcome returns to Test rugby after being named in the Springbok Women’s starting team to face Cameroon in the 2024 Rugby Africa Women’s Cup opener in Madagascar on Saturday. The pair last played together at the same venue in the same competition a year ago, where Mabenge topped the points’ scoring stakes with six tries. Samantha Els and Aliyah Tchogna-Njamen have been included in the run-on team for the first time after making their international debuts off the bench against Spain early last month, while Nomsa Mokwai will earn a...

Sizophila Solontsi and Nomawethu Mabenge will make welcome returns to Test rugby after being named in the Springbok Women’s starting team to face Cameroon in the 2024 Rugby Africa Women’s Cup opener in Madagascar on Saturday. The pair last played together at the same venue in the same competition a year ago, where Mabenge topped the points’ scoring stakes with six tries. Samantha Els and Aliyah Tchogna-Njamen have been included in the run-on team for the first time after making their international debuts off the bench against Spain early last month, while Nomsa Mokwai will earn a...

RIP Mariska Loots (1986 to 2024) Mr Mark Alexander, the President of SA Rugby, sent condolences to the family of Mariska Loots, a former Springbok Women’s player who passed away on Wednesday at age of 38. Loots, who played scrumhalf, toured Wales and England in 2005 with the Springbok Women and played against Wales ‘A’ in her international career. She started playing rugby for the Goodwood Gazelles in Cape Town and represented DHL Western Province for several years. “It is tragic to lose such a talented individual when she still had so much to offer,” said Mr Alexander. “Mariska...

RIP Mariska Loots (1986 to 2024) Mr Mark Alexander, the President of SA Rugby, sent condolences to the family of Mariska Loots, a former Springbok Women’s player who passed away on Wednesday at age of 38. Loots, who played scrumhalf, toured Wales and England in 2005 with the Springbok Women and played against Wales ‘A’ in her international career. She started playing rugby for the Goodwood Gazelles in Cape Town and represented DHL Western Province for several years. “It is tragic to lose such a talented individual when she still had so much to offer,” said Mr Alexander. “Mariska...