Springbok Women v USA Women’s Eagles: By the numbers

SOUTH AFRICA v USA – 10BET ELLIS PARK, JOHANNESBURG – KO 1.30PM (SAST) ON SATURDAY

REFEREE

Zoe Naude (South Africa)

Test debut: 19 September, 2024 – South Africa 36-19 Spain

Tests as referee: 3

• Zoe Naude will take charge of USA for the first time.

• This will be the second time she referees her own country, having made her Test debut with the Springbok Women’s 36-19 victory over Spain in a WXV 2 2024 warm-up.

• Naude made her Guinness Women’s Six Nations debut with England’s 84-7 defeat of Scotland at Murrayfield in April.

• She will also referee the second Test between the sides in Pretoria on 11 July.

• The South African was on the HSBC SVNS 2 2026 women’s panel, refereeing in Nairobi, Montevideo and Sao Paulo.

• She also refereed the HSBC SVNS 2026 round in Cape Town.

• Naude founded the Girl Power Rugby Academy for girls aged six to 18 in 2023, which has now expanded to three rugby clubs and has seen more than 200 players pass through the system.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Played: 6 – USA leads 5-1

Points for: South Africa 79/USA 222 (Avg. score: 13-37)

Highest score: South Africa 26 (26-23 on 9 August, 2011) / USA 61 (61-5 on 10 August, 2013)

Biggest winning margin: South Africa 3 (26-23 on 9 August, 2011) / USA 56 (61-5 on 10 August, 2013)

First met: 16 August, 2009 – USA 39-0 South Africa – Appleby College, Oakville, Canada

Last met: 30 March, 2024 – USA 38-17 South Africa – Trailfinders Sports Ground, London, England

HEAD-TO-HEAD NOTES

• This will be their first-ever meeting on South African soil, their previous encounters having taken place in Canada, USA and England.

• The match is part of a double header with the Springboks’ Nations Championship encounter with England.

• South Africa’s solitary win came in the 2011 Women’s Nations Cup in Oakville, Canada, when Janine Felix scored a brace of late tries to snatch victory.

• USA made it four wins in a row with a 38-17 victory in March 2024 in London, a warm-up match ahead of their Pacific Four Series campaign.

• Flanker Georgie Perris-Redding scored a hat-trick for the Women’s Eagles with Emily Henrich adding a brace and Lotte Sharp one.

• Gabby Cantorna converted four of the six tries.

• South Africa’s three tries were scored by Aseza Hele, Lindelwa Gwala and Byrhandré Dolf with Mary Zulu converting one.

• The sides will meet again at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on 11 July.

SOUTH AFRICA TEAM NOTES

• South Africa come into this two-Test series on the back of a successful Rugby Africa Women’s Cup title defence in Nairobi, beating hosts Kenya 35-20 in the title decider on 31 May.

• They had trailed 8-7 at half-time with Alichia Arries crossing in the 12th minute.

• Naima Hlatshwayo, Logan Welman and Jakkie Cilliers crossed to turn that into a 22-7 lead by just after the hour mark.

• However, Kenya again hit back to cut the deficit to two points only for South Africa to finish strongly with a Ntsako Mbombi try, converted by Cilliers who also kicked two late penalties.

• South Africa had already beaten Madagascar 64-5 and Uganda 47-20.

• The Springbok Women’s 10 tries against Madagascar were all scored by different players.

• Cilliers was one of those to cross and also kicked seven conversions in a Player of the Match performance.

• Arries, Aphiwe Ngwevu, Chuma Qawe, Nombuyekezo Mdliki, Faith Tshauke, Welman, Thandile Mazwi, debutant Thami Yeko and Zulu also got their names on the scoresheet.

• South Africa had trailed 12-0 early on in their second fixture against Uganda but winger Shanique Alexander began the fight-back and further tries from Arries and Welman put the Springbok Women 19-17 ahead at half-time.

• They kept their line intact in the second half and scored another four tries through Thamie Yeko, Hlatshwayo, Faith Tshuake and Arries.

• Cilliers was South Africa’s top point-scorer in the tournament with 46 points through two tries, two penalties and 15 conversions).

• The Springbok Women’s top try-scorer was Arries with four.

SQUAD NEWS

• Babalwa Latsha has been named as captain following the retirement of Nolusindiso Booi after Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

• The Springbok Women’s most-capped tight-head prop has led her country in 15 of her 40 tests to date.

• Only two players in the starting line-up this weekend did not feature at RWC 2025, Arries and Welman. The latter made her debut in South Africa’s Rugby Africa Women’s Cup title defence in Kenya in May.

• Scrumhalf Unam Tose will earn a 30th cap against USA, becoming the sixth member of the starting lineup to have reached that many Tests for South Africa.

• Latsha, centre Aphiwe Ngwevu, flyhalf Libbie Janse van Rensburg, flanker Sizophila Solontsi and prop Sanelisiwe Charlie are the others.

• South Africa are without Nadine Roos and Sinazo Mcatshulwa, who have long-term injuries.

• Dolf, Ayanda Malinga and Jacobs all featured for South Africa in the HSBC SVNS World Championship, while Zintle Mpupha, Shiniqwa Lamprecht and Patience Mokone only linked up with the squad after the recent HSBC Rugby Premier League in India.

COACH NOTES

• Experienced former Springbok coaching consultant Swys de Bruin was appointed as Springbok Women’s Performance Coach in August 2024.

• De Bruin’s last international involvement before this appointment was as attack consultant with the Springboks in 2019. Before that, he coached a variety of teams, including the Lions in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup.

• His first game in charge was a 36-19 win over Spain on the eve of WXV 2 2024.

• He led South Africa to a first Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final appearance in England last year, following pool-stage wins over Italy and Brazil, and also to their highestever World Rugby Women’s Ranking of 10th.

• De Bruin did not travel to Kenya for the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in May, instead remaining with the Springbok Women’s conditioning group in Stellenbosch. His assistant coaches Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September took charge of the touring squad.

USA TEAM NOTES

• This is not the first time that USA have played on South African soil, having beaten Samoa (36-26) and lost to Scotland (24-14) and Italy (30-8) in WXV 2 in October 2023.

• The match takes place on the 250th anniversary of the United States.

• This is USA’s fourth Test of the year, the Women’s Eagles having finished third in the Pacific Four Series in April after a 33-12 victory over Australia was sandwiched between defeats to New Zealand (48-15) and Canada (50-12).

• USA’s opening loss to New Zealand in Sacramento was their fifth defeat in a row in the Pacific Four Series.

• The Women’s Eagles scored all of their points in the first half through Hope Rogers, who marked her 60th cap with a 26th test try, and first-time captain Erica Jarrell-Searcy.

• Debutant flyhalf Annabella Vogel kicked a conversion and a penalty.

• Prop Rogers was again on the scoresheet in the win over Australia a week later in Kansas City, scoring either side of the interval to make it six tries against Australia in three games.

• Back-row duo, Perris-Redding and Freda Tafuna, who made a colossal 24 carries and centre Heinrich also crossed the whitewash for the Women’s Eagles, who were indebted to Vogel’s boot for the rest of their points.

• The USA wrapped up their tournament in Chicago with a 12th consecutive loss against Canada, Rogers and Heinrich their try-scorers with Vogel converting the opening score.

SQUAD NEWS

• Perris-Redding will captain USA for the first time as coach Jack Hanratty looks to build leadership in the squad ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029.

• Kate Zackary, who led USA at RWC 2025 in England, returns to the squad after missing the Pacific Four Series in April due to injury.

• Zackary will play her 50th Test on the 250th anniversary of the United States, having made her debut in a 36-10 loss to France in November 2016.

• The back rower, also capped six times at centre – including at WXV 2 2023 in South Africa, is one of two players in the squad who reached the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) final in England with Ealing Trailfinders last month.

• The other is fellow forward Alicia Leatherman, while second-row Hallie Taufoou arrives in South Africa as a new Elite 1 champion with Stade Bordelais in France.

• USA are without the likes of Erica Jarrell-Searcy, Keia Mae Sagapolu Sanele and Abigail Patton, while Emily Heinrich misses the rest of the tour through injury.

• There are five uncapped players in the touring squad: forwards Lauryn Carlton, Elizabeth Cook and Chloe Hill-Hulse and backs Alopa Nau and Ashley Cowdrey.

• USA Sevens player Cowdrey will make her Test debut on the left wing, while Cook is among the front-row replacements in Johannesburg.

COACHES NOTES

• Jack Hanratty was appointed USA coach in January 2026 after joining USA Rugby following his most recent position as women’s head coach at the University of Ottawa.

• He has a W1, L2 record after the 2026 Pacific Four Series, beating Australia but losing to both New Zealand and Canada.

• He first began coaching in his native Ireland with Leinster Rugby in 2009, before holding a number of roles with Rugby Canada.

• Hanratty’s 16-year CV includes leading the Canada women’s sevens team to the silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

• Hanratty will be assisted by Sarah Chobot, Lou Meadows and Jon Humphreys, while Ulster Rugby’s Tom Clough is Head of Athletic Performance.

RANKINGS PERMUTATIONS

• South Africa will become the higher-ranked of the two nations if they win by more than 15 points, reaching a new high of ninth.

• This would see USA fall two places to 10th, equalling their lowest position which they last occupied going into Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

• A smaller margin of defeat would still see the Women’s Eagles drop below Australia to ninth.

• By contrast, USA will jump two places to sixth – above Scotland and Italy – if they are victorious in Johannesburg.

• South Africa cannot fall from 10th even if they are beaten heavily in the first of two meetings between the teams this month.

Springbok Women starting XV: 15 Byrhandré Dolf, 14 Jakkie Cilliers, 13 Ayanda Malinga, 12 Aphiwe Ngwevu, 11 Alichia Arries; 10 Libbie Janse van Rensburg, 9 Unam Tose; 8 Logan Welman, 7 Catha Jacobs, 6 Sizophila Solontsi; 5 Danelle Lochner, 4 Vainah Ubisi; 3 Babalwa Latsha (capt), 2 Micke Gunter, 1 Sanelisiwe Charlie. Replacements: 16 Anushka Groenewald, 17 Yonela Ngxingolo, 18 Thandile Mazwi, 19 Anathi Qolo, 20 Sinelitha Noxeke, 21 Faith Tshauke, 22 Felicia Jacobs, 23 Eloise Webb.

USA Women’s Eagles starting XV: 15 Alev Kelter, 14 Bulou Mataitoga, 13 Telesi Uhatafe, 12 Katana Howard, 11 Ashley Cowdrey; 10 Bella Vogel, 9 Cass Bargell: 8 Freda Tafuna, 7 Georgie Perris-Redding (capt), 6 Kate Zackary; 5 Hallie Taufoou, 4 Rachel Ehrecke; 3 Reece Woods, 2 Kathryn Treder, 1 Hope Rogers. Replacements: 16 Paige Stathopoulo, 17 Alivia Leatherman, 18 Elizabeth Cook, 19 Kapoina Bailey, 20 Tessa Hann, 21 Hann Humphreys, 22 Olivia Ortiz, 23 Kristin Bitter.

South Africa v USA @ 10bet Ellis Park, Johannesburg (1.30pm)

Referee: Zoe Naude

Assistant Referees: Giana Viljoen, Angie Bezuidenhout

Television Match Official: Quinton Immelman

Split Screen/FPRO: Christie du Preez