Springbok Women coach Swys de Bruin predicts power shift in women's rugby

De Bruin, who led Springbok Women into the knockout stages for the first time ever, told Planet Rugby: "I can see this nation winning the World Cup in the not too distant future. It's not far-fetched for me to say that."

England play Canada in Saturday's sold out final at Allianz Stadium, having beaten France and New Zealand respectively in two pulsating semi-finals last weekend.

They are the top four ranked countries in the women's game and nobody expected anything other than that quartet meeting to decide who advanced to play for the trophy in front of a world record 82,000 crowd at Twickenham.

Those epic contests aside, the only result to really qualify as a shock in the rest of the tournament was Springbok Women beating Italy, at the time ranked four places above them, in the pool stages.

And now head coach De Bruin insists: "Our potential for growth is enormous. Look at the DNA of the population, our diversity is our strength. If we can use this Rainbow Nation and all its various components, as the men have before us, this is only the start.

"You have seen what has been achieved by this programme in 11 months. Imagine if our recruitment is right and we play to our strengths. The sky is the limit."

South Africa did not even bother entering the 2017 World Cup, having shelved their women's programme in the three preceding years rather than chase a losing cause.

At the 2022 tournament in New Zealand they lost every game, scoring only three tries. Yet in four matches in this edition Nolusindiso Booi's side got over the line 19 times and midway through their quarter-final threatened the biggest shock of all when holding New Zealand 10-10.

Which is why De Bruin believes his team has only scratched the surface of the country's potential. "We are so proud of what we achieved," he says. "Our players, almost overnight, have become role models for a lot of young people in our country.

"But we're still not where we want to be. We've taken a big step forward. We've got to take it further now because the interest, suddenly, is so big. It's huge, from everyone.

"Wherever you walk, talk or move everyone is wanting to say well done to the women and then all have the same question: â˜What now?'"

The answer came within days of the squad returning from England. The inaugural Betway Women's Club Championship, the first national club competition for women in the country, was announced, to launch next month along an expanded U20 Women's Tournament.

According to Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, the two competitions will provide a "vital platform" for players to showcase their talent in the level below provincial rugby.

"We're not just building competitions," he says. "We're creating pathways for women to play, dream and rise."

De Bruin says he is minded to continue and, asked whether he expects South Africa to remove the last-four predictability from the 2029 World Cup in Australia, said firmly: "I believe so.

"To me, the Six Nations and Pacific Four (Canada, New Zealand, Australia and USA) have had a distinct advantage. We as South Africans, and some of the island teams as well, have just not had competitive games.

"We played against Spain. England gave us an U20 side to play against. We wanted to play against France, they said we could share a training session. How can you improve if you don't play strength versus strength?

"But having made the last eight at the World Cup and risen to 10th in the world rankings, things are going to change. The top 12 nations are to compete in a new home-and-away, cross-regional model. We're going to get the fixtures we need to improve."

To fully appreciate the journey De Bruin's team has made he takes us back a year to when he was asked to assist the women's programme.

"I thought I'd help them take the first couple of steps and see how they went and then focus on coaching the coaches," he explains. "When we started, to keep the ball for five phases was tough. Every third pass was either up or down or behind the back. The little fundamental skills were missing.

"Look at them now. Twice in the World Cup they kept the ball for 20 phases. And I think we had the lowest error rate on handling skills of most of the teams. It's amazing how these girls grabbed every opportunity and went for gold, if I can put it that way."

Many of De Bruin's players hail from difficult beginnings, some brought up in poverty, many by grandparents. The former Lions head coach initially thought they should take a full-time psychologist with them to the World Cup.

"But it very quickly became apparent that, while a lot of the girls have experienced trials and tribulations in their lives, the support of the big family that was our group was sufficient," he says.

"They carried one another. If someone was down they lifted her back up. It was beautiful to see. There was no need whatsoever for a psychologist.

"Many of them had no experience of the kind of hotels we stayed in, or of flying Premium Economy. It was a new life experience which could have been overwhelming. Yet they were so thankful, they loved every moment."

De Bruin adds: "The player welfare piece was all about them being happy. We encouraged them to sing. There was so much fun and laughter because that is what makes them tick.

"Usually with men, if they are serious and focused they play well. With these women the more noise on the bus and in the changing room the better they played. We really did embrace that.

"It was more than just rugby. The team was everything, the culture, the value system. We never ever had a problem. No one even was ever late.

"In the hotel when they finished eating they would clean up and take their plates to the kitchen. When they left the bus every single one would thank the driver. I was so proud of them. It was a wonderful experience for us all."

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