Gutsy SA Women ‘A’ side come up short in Sao Paulo

The South African Women ‘A’ side went down 34-12 (half-time 24-12) to Brazil at Estádio Nicolau Alayon in Sao Paulo on Monday night in a match where valuable experience and lessons would have been learned.

The match, the first of two to be played on tour, exposed the lack of match experience at this level for the South African outfit but many positives will be taken back to the drawing board for the second match on 29 August, also in Sao Paulo.

There are very talented players coming through the ranks and that was clear in a performance where the result tells one story and the effort another.

It was a lively start to the match. South Africa received the kick-off but lost possession and from a couple of powerful bursts, Brazil scored for a 5-0 lead. The home side had a clear advantage of playing together as a team and that showed early as the SA defence were tested and found wanting.

The South Africans replied immediately. From the restart, they worked their way up the field with good interplay and when Brazil was penalised for being offside, Mary Zulu kicked to the corner for an attacking line-out.

That was duly won and No 8 Emihle Mayitshe was at the back of a great drive for their first points on tour. Zulu converted and nine minutes in, the visitors were 7-5 up.

Brazil came charging back, again with their fluent interplay working well against a SA defensive line that was not as tight as needed. Their counterattack from deep, with a number of pin-point passes, had the SA defence outnumbered and they reclaimed the lead 13 minutes in (12-7).

South Africa came back immediately though via a lovely team try finished by Hayley Hardneck. From the restart, several good offloads offered space out wide and a great pass by Shaunique Alexander handed her fullback the ball in open space and she scored in the corner. Zulu's conversion was wide but scores even after 15 minutes.

Almost as per script, the home side had the next strike. The visitors were penalised twice in a row for offside lines as their defence tried to cope with the inter-passing by the hosts and from a second quick tap and drive, they scored again for a 17-12 lead.

South Africa rallied well but spurned two chances to score, first when an attacking line-out went nowhere and then when left wing, Litalethu Nombakuse, could not hold on to the ball in a good attacking position.

Brazil then went coast to coast to score the best try of the half and the match. They won a line-out near their own line, an inside pass found the SA defence napping and several passes later, right wing Thalita Costa, scored in the opposite corner and side of the field where the move began. The conversion handed the host team a 24-12 lead at the break.

The second half almost started in the same fashion as the home side attacked well but a final pass went astray for Brazil. The match tempo also tampered off quite a bit as injuries started to slow down the game and fatigue set in.

A great opportunity 17 minutes into the second half created a controversial moment. From an attacking line-out and a couple of bursts, Zulu scored but the try was disallowed as the assistant referee saw her dropping the ball, much to the dismay of the SA captain, who even demonstrated her try scoring technique to the referee.

Instead, five minutes later, it was the home side who finished off a line-out drive to extend the lead to 29-12 and after 63 minutes of rugby, that lead seemed to be a winning one.

SA coach Bafana Nhleko looked at his bench for a remedy and although halfback Camelitha Malone brough some pace into the match, errors continued to spoil a gutsy effort by the visitors.

A lineout from close range went astray, non-rolling defenders went unattended and passes started to drop. No SA women's side will ever leave without a fight though and neither did this one but in the end, they just lacked the finishing touches and experience needed.

A late Brazil try made the winning margin a flattering one for the hosts, who fielded several players that formed part of their Women’s Rugby World Cup squad in 2025.

Score

Brazil 34 (24) – Tries: Luiza Gonzalez, Mariana Moreira, Lohana Valente, Larissa Carvalho, Thalita Costa, Julia Leni. Conversions: Lohana Valente (2).

SA Women ‘A’ 12 (12) – Tries: Emihle Mayitshe, Hayley Hardneck. Conversion: Mary Zulu.