Kolisi urges fans to fill FNB Stadium for Springbok Women's rare clash with Black Ferns

Siya Kolisi has made a personal appeal for supporters to fill FNB Stadium ahead of Saturday’s Springbok Women fixture against the Black Ferns in Johannesburg — a match that will be only the third meeting between the two nations in history, and the curtain-raiser to the third and deciding men’s Test in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.

“It’s special. It’s exciting. It’s been really awesome seeing how excited the girls are to be playing tomorrow,” Kolisi said on Friday. “I hope people go before the game, because the Black Ferns have won the World Cup. They’ve been a successful team for a very long time. It will be a great game of rugby.”

The Springbok Women and the six-time world champion Black Ferns have met just twice before. Their most recent encounter came less than a year ago, a Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 quarter-final in Exeter that ended 46-17 to New Zealand — though the scoreline flatters the margin of the first half, which finished 10-10 after the Springbok Women unsettled their opponents with a powerful lineout-maul game.

Kolisi pointed to the broader significance of the occasion, framing women’s rugby growth as inseparable from the health of the sport as a whole. “The more people support the women’s game, the bigger our sport grows. I always look at it that way. It is not only the women’s game that grows, our game grows,” he said.

He also highlighted the enthusiasm of Springbok Women captain Babalwa Latsha ahead of the fixture. “Babalwa is really looking forward to the game,” he added.

Kolisi’s advocacy for women’s rugby is well established. During WXV 2 in Cape Town in 2024, he attended multiple matches, spoke to the Wales squad at their team hotel after connecting with prop Sisilia Tuipulotu on social media, joined the Wallaroos at their jersey presentation, and assisted at Springbok Women training sessions.

On the men’s side, the series between South Africa and New Zealand is locked at 1-1 heading into Saturday’s third Test at FNB Stadium, after the Springboks claimed a 33-26 victory in Cape Town. A fourth and final Test is scheduled to follow at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.