Booi said the match will not only mark a special day in the history of South African rugby, it will mark a special performance from her team as well. “There is something special about this group.

“We come from different backgrounds and all of us have different stories on how rugby shaped our lives,” she said on Friday. 

“But one thing is pulling us together and making us work together with a smile and a common purpose, and that is what the Springbok Women’s jersey stand for. We will run onto that field tomorrow as one, and no one is leaving anything out there.”

Booi has already indicated this will be her last year of playing Test rugby and as such, she is treating every game as if it were the last one she will play in the green and gold.

‘It could be the last one ever’

“So for me, it is easy to get motivated and leave it all out there as I know it could be the last one ever, and I don’t want to regret that I did not empty the tank. 

“For the rest of the team, the motivation might be different, but the effort will stay the same for all of us. This is the moment we worked for, and we owe it our ourselves, our supporters, our sponsors, and everyone who invested time, effort, and money into this team, to go out there guns blazing.”

‘Booi played in that match’

The only time South Africa and New Zealand ever played was in 2010 when the World Cup was held in England as well, with the Black Ferns winning 55-5 in Guildford. Booi played in that match, coming off the bench in what was the start of a record-breaking career.

“We did not come this far just to participate tomorrow. We did not work this hard to just come and play. Winning is the only thing on our minds right now.”

OFM Sport/Ilse Smalberger dg