Inside Education Reporter
This was the first-ever international rugby match at UWC, mere days after the Operation Room, as the UWC Sports Stadium is affectionately known among the locals, hosted a Cape football derby when Cape Town City took on Cape Town Spurs in the DStv Diski Challenge.
It was a proud moment for UWC alumna Babalwa Latsha.
The two events are a testament to the goal of the University’s Department of Sport Administration to make a massive contribution to South African sport in the broader scheme of things as part of UWC’s community engagement strategy.
Few years ago, UWC spent millions of rands to revamp its sports facilities to be at world standards to host matches of this magnitude.
A hattrick by Veroeshka Grain, playing in the number 14 jumper just like former UWC Varsity Cup star Kurt-Lee Arendse did for the Springbok Men in the Rugby World Cup, was the standout performance for the wearers of the green and gold.
The game was still in the balance at halftime when the Boks led 24-12, but a resurgent second-half effort from South Africa meant they eventually won comfortably by 77-12.
The home team, led by UWC alumna Babalwa Latsha, started like a house on fire and enjoyed a healthy 17-0 lead after 16 minutes after Grain, Sinazo Mcatshulwa (lock) and prop Yonela Ngixingolo all crossed the whitewash.
The Lionesses from Kenya, however, refused to back down and scored back-to-back tries through Diana Kemunto (flanker) and Stellah Wafula (left wing), while flyhalf Ann Goretti converted Kemunto’s try to bring the scores to 19-12.
A try after a rolling maul from a lineout by Bok-hooker Roseline Botes gave interim head coach Louis Koen’s side some breathing space as they went into the halftime break, leading 24-12.
Although the heavens opened sporadically in the first half, which made handling the wet ball tricky at times, the try-scoring floodgates opened after halftime. The Boks dominated the Lionesses during this period and eventually ran in 9 unanswered tries in the second half.
The forwards, expertly led by Latsha with her barnstorming runs, were physically far superior to the Kenyans and laid the perfect platform from which Libbie Janse van Rensburg (flyhalf) could send her speedsters away. The Bulls Daisies playmaker impressed with her distribution and game management and had a hand in most of the Boks’ tries.
Latsha was ably supported up front by Sinazo Mcatshula, her lock partner and fellow UWC alumna Danelle Lochner, and flankers Nompumulelo Mathe and Catha Jacobs, while the backline had a field day. Reserve lock Vainah Ubisi’s impact in the second half was so impressive that the powerful front ranker earned herself the player of the match award despite her not starting the game.
“This was a typical test match – it was physical and hard, and we had to chip away at Kenya,” said Koen. “I said to the players that we cannot expect a wall to fall with one blow, but it will fall if you chip away repeatedly, and that is how it panned out. I think the good work of our assistant coaches, Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September, over the last couple of weeks, is really showing now, as well as the impact of our conditioning and wrestling sessions.”
The Springbok Women will play a training match against the San Clemente Rhinos on Tuesday, and following that match at False Bay Rugby Club, they will face an array of international stars when they take on the Barbarians at Athlone Stadium on Saturday.
INSIDE EDUCATION
