Koen pleased with game plan execution

Springbok Women head coach Louis Koen praised his squad for transferring the work they’ve done on the training field to match day in their big victory over Kenya in Madagascar on Wednesday, something they have not always mastered in the past.

Koen said they decided to tweak their approach for the match at Stade Makis in Antananarivo and worked on that on the training field after they overcame Cameroon in their opening match last Saturday. The changes worked out for the Bok Women in their 63-5 victory, much to the delight of their coach.

“We wanted to play in a slightly different way today, so our preparation was a bit different – the players executed those changes very well and that was very pleasing,” said Koen.

“In the past, we were gulity of not transferring the training ground executions to match day, but I cannot fault what they did out there today. In fact, it was exactly what we asked them to do and they responded accordingly, and as a coaching staff, we are really pleased about that.”

The bonus point victory with a big margin confirmed the Springbok Women’s position at the top of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup log, but it will still come down to Sunday’s match against Madagascar to confirm the passport to Rugby World Cup 2025, to be played in England.

The host nation are also unbeaten after their 12-5 victory over Cameroon on Wednesday afternoon, their match taking place straight after the South African victory over Kenya.

Koen said that while their execution was good, there are still enough aspects for the Bok Women to work on as they prepare to face the hosts on Sunday.

“We conceded a try when our defensive line did not hold and that was disappointing, as we did not want to concede any points today,” said Koen.

“That will provide some food for thought for the rest of the week and the preparations leading into the weekend’s match. We have one more match to go and all our focus for the rest of the week will be on that clash against Madagascar.”