Despite the loss, the South Africans can hold their heads high. After reaching the quarter-finals for the first time, they remained competitive against a classy Kiwi side.

The first half was tightly contested, with both teams crossing for two tries each, going into the break locked at ten all. But the second half belonged to the Black Ferns.

South Africa started strongly, putting the Black Ferns under pressure early on, and were rewarded when Babalwa Latsha scored after 20 minutes. New Zealand responded quickly with two tries in under five minutes – by Theresa Setefano and Braxton Sorensen-McGee – capitalising on a few Bok Women errors. The final say in the half went to Aphiwe Ngwevu, who crashed over just before the break.

Aphiwe Ngwevu. Photo: Morgan Harlow/World Rugby

Women’s coach Swys de Bruin remained philosophical after the match, praising his team for their breakthrough performance.

“What a performance by this team, coming into the tournament ranked 12th in the world and leaving it as one of the top eight sides. 

“To add to that, delivering such a strong first half against the Black Ferns proved it was no fluke. This team is here to stay and could well be the sleeping giant of women’s rugby.”

Historically, South Africa had only won three matches out of 18 in previous Women’s Rugby World Cups. But this year, they played some breathtaking rugby against Brazil and Italy to reach the quarter-finals.

Maceala Samboya. Photo: Morgan Harlow/World Rugby  

Bok Women captain Nolusindiso Booi said the team could be proud of their efforts.

“We really had them confused at the end of the first half with our tactics. They didn’t have all the answers to counter our mauls with so many players involved. 

“The quality of New Zealand showed in the second half, and they deserved to win. But we left everything on the field, and every player should be proud of their performance today.”

In today’s quarter-finals, France will face Ireland at 14:00, while England will take on Scotland at 17:00. New Zealand and Canada have already secured their semi-final spots and will clash next Friday at 20:00.

OFM Sport/Ilse Smalberger dg