Babalwa Latsha calls on fans to come in numbers for Gqeberha showdown
11th July 2025
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Springboks Women prop Babalwa Latsha has sounded a clarion call to rugby fans in the Eastern Cape to come and support the team at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium this weekend, when they take on Canada in a second test match in as many weeks.
The two teams met at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon, just before the Springboks’ match against Italy at the same venue.
Latsha says it’s important for the women to receive as much support as possible ahead of the World Cup next month, whether they play at the same venue as their male counterparts or not.
"It's fantastic to see crowds come in to watch women's rugby. In South Africa, women's rugby is picking up momentum and growing tremendously.
"I think that it is important for the fans to keep watching, following, and tuning into women's rugby because we are on a journey to something special," emphasised Latsha.
The 31-year-old says a lot of the players in the team come from the Eastern Cape, and would greatly appreciate being made to feel at home and to play in front of a big crowd.
"For some of our girls on this team, this is a homecoming. To play on home Eastern Cape soil is really special, and this is such an exciting occasion for the entire group."
They do know that facing the Canadians again will not be any easier than last week, but they are more than happy to test themselves against the best in the world. Canada are ranked second in the world, a whole 10 places above South Africa and it showed in the 50-20 mauling they received.
Coach Swys de Bruin lamented officiating issues at the breakdown last week, and Latsha says they have worked on that particular aspect of their game this week.
